In A Heartbeat
by PurpleRanger101
Summary: The Rangers have just escaped disaster at the hands of the Overlord. Now, they face a new threat as countless Rangers simply disappear. This time...they might not make it. This could be the end. Follows Bound but is not necessary to read Bound first.
1. In a Heartbeat Trailer

**Voiceover: Always the battle has been tough…**

Wes is thrown from his bike. He stands and yells, "That's it! Your time is up! Red Battle Warrior!" His attack is thwarted and he falls in a fiery explosion, his morphing suit flickering away, in _The End of Time, Part III._

Cassie and Carlos are hit with laser blasts and tumble from the top of a truck. Their morphing suits fade away in _Countdown to Destruction_

Casey fighting Jarrod in _Path of the Righteous_

**Many times, the stakes have been high…**

Princess Shayla cries out, "He's destroying the Wild Zords!" Cole fumbles in his pocket and pulls out a Wild Zord Orb. It shatters and he screams, "Falcon!" in _The End of the Power Rangers Part I._

Cassie yells at Kendrix to "Get out of there!" Leo runs, screaming for Kendrix. Kendrix is blown backwards after destroying the Saber and saving Cassie in _The Power of Pink_

The Thunderzords are destroyed in _Ninja Quest Part I_

Dana, Kelsey, Chad, Joel, Ms. Fairweather and Captain Mitchell stand inside a damaged Aquabase as Joel announces, "The connecting tube's destroyed. We're trapped in here." Dana looks at the window and sees a crack forming in _The Fate of Lightspeed Part 1_

**But always, the battle has been won.**

Trent: "Do it, Connor!"

Connor: "I summon the power of the gem!"

All: "Dino gems, unite!"

Mesagog is destroyed in _Thunder Struck Part II_

**Then…disaster struck. The Rangers were decimated.**

Joel crashes to the ground, his morphing suit gone. "Go on, kill me," he taunts the monster standing over him.

Lucas is hit in the back with a laser blast. He drops to the ground, limp.

Ronny fights against chains holding her to the bottom of a tank full of water.

**And now disaster is preparing to strike again.**

Kira standing in a darkened pizza parlor. "Where is everyone? Where has everyone gone?" A figure appears in the door and says, in a Scottish accent, "Kira? What's going on?"

Dana wanders over a snowy field as a raven wheels overhead. She repeats one phrase over and over again. "Not again…not again…not again."

Tori, leaning out of the side of a boat, "Blake! Blake, where are you?"

Dark screen. Jason's voice: "This is it. We are all that's left."

**Those remaining will either fight and die alone…**

Kendrix stabs her Quasar Saber towards Dana's chest.

Tori runs to a computer, chased by a figure in a dark cloak. She slaps the communicator button and screams, "Help! Everyone's gone and they're coming!"

Leo's back is against a tree and his face is a bloody mess as he swings a broken stick at the enemies surrounding him.

A body on the ground, unmoving.

**Or they will band together and face insurmountable odds.**

Flynn and Kira stand side by side in a dark alley. Flynn looks at Kira. "You ready?" She nods. He slides his Engine Cell into his morpher. "RPM, get in gear!" Kira's cry is seconds behind his. "Dino Thunder, Power up, ha!" They stand in the alley, clad in blue and yellow biosuits.

Casey, Wes and Leo stand in the Dino Thunder lab. Casey looks at the other two. "Well? Are we doing this?" he asks. Wes dips his head. "We have to hold them off, give the others time to escape," and raises his Chronomorpher.

Leo breaks into a run across the room, towards the stairs and morphs as he runs. "Go, Galactic!"

Wes is right behind him, morphing. "Time for, Time force!" He calls out his Chronosabers and tosses one to Casey as they enter the stairway.

Leo looks up at Eric and Wes. "This is it, Eric. This is the final moment. We can either fight and win or we can fight and die." He grins. "We need to get everyone back here and go on the offensive. This is it. Here and now. It's time."

**And even then, they might not survive this round.**

Kira sits in front of a coffin. "We can't win, can we, Xan? Flynn's big battle, all of us dying, it's all true, isn't it? You, me. We're going to die." Xander sets a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know, Kira. But I do know I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Kira looks up at him. "Trent promised the same thing. But you see what happened to him…Xander, you can't promise that."

**This is truly the final confrontation.**

**Author's Note: Well, I reworked the trailer so that it now goes with what actually happens in the story. I think it's better now, at least because it doesn't have things in it that don't happen in the story, guess they were deleted scenes? Haha, hope you guys are enjoying the story!**


	2. Everyone's Missing Someone

Tori stood on a hill overlooking the Wind Ninja Academy. It had been a week and still she felt the pain of their loss in her gut. The leader of their team was gone. Sometimes, she didn't know if she would make it to the next day. And then there were the times when the memories and the feelings would just well up inside her and force her to the ground in a ball, unable to move. It was times like that when she needed her friends but especially Blake. This was one of those times.

"Tori? You okay?" Blake asked as his footsteps sounded behind her. Tori could tell that someone was with Blake; she assumed it was Rose.

"Yeah," Tori sighed. She turned and found Blake behind her with Rose and Xander. Xander had his arm wrapped protectively around Rose's shoulders. Tori tried to force a smile for Rose's benefit but she couldn't bring one to her face.

"No, you're not." Blake said quietly. He stepped up to Tori and wrapped his arms around her. "You know you don't have to pretend. We're all hurting."

Tori glanced at Xander, whose face hardened. She knew that he was taking the deaths of Nick and Madison hard, not to mention the deaths of Rose's teammates. Tori felt a pang of guilt in her gut, guilt that she wasn't taking the deaths of Mack, Will, Ronny and Dax as hard as Xander was. She missed the Overdrive Rangers; after all, she had worked closely with them against Thrax. But she just couldn't let go of her sorrow over the deaths of Shane and Cam long enough to miss four people she hadn't seen in two years.

"When will it get easier?" Tori whispered. "When will I be able to look at the Academy and not see Cam at the computer or Shane teaching his Wind students? When?"

A tear rolled down Rose's cheek. "I know what you mean, Tori. I can't go to Mr. Hartford's mansion without seeing Ronny and Will playing pool. I can't watch a movie without seeing Dax doing the stunts. And every time I see a Hummer, I see Mack. Mack who gave his life for me." Rose's voice trailed off. Xander tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"I don't know, Tor," Blake muttered into Tori's hair. "I don't know. All I know is that I have you now and that we 're going to get through this. We will. There's no way that we can't, not when we still have each other. And someone worth fighting for."

Rose nodded and Xander added, "And you don't just have the survivors from your team, Tori. You have all of us. Mystic Force, Jungle Fury, Lightspeed Rescue. All of us. We are family now."

Tori finally managed a small smile before turning away from her friends to look once more at the Ninja Academy. She could see two figures emerge from the main school and, even from this distance, she recognized Hunter and Dustin. A fleeting thought crossed her mind.

_If I hurt this much…how must those hurt who lost more teammates than we did?_

* * *

Jen sat next to Princess Shayla on the Animarium. She and Wes had decided that it would be the best place to retreat, to get some rest and to remember those who had not survived to recuperate. Jen looked deep into the waters next to her and it was almost as if Katie's face swam to the surface.

"Katie…Katie, why? Why did you die? Why would you leave me here alone?" Jen said haltingly, tears pooling in her eyes. It had been a little over two weeks since that terrible day but she still felt Katie's loss each moment. The only thing that lessened the pain was being here with Wes and Alex and Eric and the Wild Force Rangers.

Jen's hand went to her back as the pain flared up again. Her back had been healed from the burns she had suffered and the lashes from the whip but she still suffered from the pain of it. Thinking of her back led her to thoughts of Lucas, the brave friend who had risked it all to save her. And in the end, his risk had come back to kill him. And thinking of bravery led her to thoughts of Trip, who had given his life to protect Katie. And those thoughts led her once again back to Katie…it all came back to Katie.

"Jen? Babe, you okay?" Wes asked as he and Eric entered the clearing. Eric spent most of his time with Taylor but he had taken a few hours to go with Wes on a mission.

"I'm fine…just thinking, that's all." Jen looked up at her best friend, the man who had and would always have her heart. "Where have you guys been, anyway?"

"Looking for Merrick," Danny said as he came through the arch. He dropped onto a bench, his expression sad. Jen knew that he felt the pain of losing his best friend hit him hard every morning…and ever since Merrick had disappeared two days after their return to Animarium, Danny could barely convince himself to get up in the morning.

"Any luck?" Jen inquired, hope growing in her heart.

Eric slammed his fist into a pillar. "No. Why should today be any different? He's still missing and we're still grieving. Why should we be freed from this pain today?"

Wes rounded on his best friend. "Shut up, Eric! We all know you don't care a rat's end about anyone but you and Taylor! As long as you have Taylor, you don't care about anyone else, do you?" Wes's voice ended in a sob.

Eric stood, pushing his finger into Wes' chest. "What the hell's gotten into you, pal? Where do you get off thinking I don't care? You think I'm happy that Trip and Lucas didn't make it? Or Katie? You think I look at Taylor and tell myself, 'well, at least Taylor's okay, who cares about the others?' You've got some wrong ideas, Wes."

Jen looked up. "Can it, guys. This isn't helping. Wes, you know Eric is hurting just as much as the rest of us. He just doesn't show it the way we do. Come on…don't fight. Not when everyone, every Ranger, is hurting just like you and me."

* * *

Kendrix sat on a bluff overlooking the camp on Mirinoi. Dana sat beside her, her knees drawn up to her chest, her elbows resting on her knees and her chin resting on her fists. Neither pink Ranger spoke for a long time. In fact, they didn't speak until their friends showed up.

Ashley and Andros approached first, Andros with his arm supporting Ashley. Then Zhane, Carlos and Cassie. Cassie had one arm draped over Carlos' shoulders and the other around Zhane's. Following close behind the remaining Space Rangers were Leo, Kai and Mike. And, in the very back of the group, were Carter and Ryan.

"It's time," Ryan said quietly. He held a bouquet of flowers in his right hand and his V-Lancer in his left. Every Ranger who had ascended the bluff had a weapon in one hand. "Let's do this."

"Let's do it?" Dana hissed, shooting daggers at her brother with her eyes. "That's all the emotion you can gather together for this memorial? Let's do it?"

Ryan sighed. "Dana, you know that isn't what I meant. Look…forget it." He sighed, used to his sister blaming everyone for everything for the past weeks since the day she'd killed Karone.

Zhane stepped up and took a flower from Ryan. "Karone, I miss you every second of every day. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." Zhane let his tears flow and then he let the flower drop to the ground. At the same time, he raised his Silverizer and fired a blast into the sky. The laser blast hung in the air for a moment, memorializing the death of the onetime villainess and pink Galaxy Ranger.

Then Carlos took a flower. He swallowed hard, once, and then he said quickly, "You were a great leader and an even greater friend, Teej." Carlos raised his Astro Blaster and sent a shot into the air, following Zhane's and memorializing the death of TJ, Red Turbo Ranger and Blue Space Ranger.

Now it was Leo's turn. He, too, took a flower and, after looking at it for a moment, dropped it to the ground. Leo raised his Quasar Launcher and spoke softly. "Damon. I don't know how we would have become Rangers if you hadn't piloted the Megaship that first time. We never told you how much we appreciated that but, well, we did. You were a great Ranger, Damon." He fired and the explosion sparkled in the air above them for a few seconds before fading away.

Ryan stepped over to Kendrix and passed a flower down to her. Kendrix smiled sadly up at the blonde Ranger and then looked back at the flower. "Maya, you were my best friend. You were the reason we all became Rangers. I'm going to miss you, Maya, more than you could ever know." She let the flower fall to the ground and then Kai fired a burst from his Quasar Launcher. Kendrix wiped at her tears but it was futile; they just kept coming.

Now Carter took a flower. He turned the flower over in his hands a couple of times before releasing it to float to the ground. Then he said quietly, "Chad, you weren't even guarding one of ours. But that's how you were. Always ready to give whatever needed to be given, even for people we barely knew. I know Katie and Trip appreciated having you by their side when it mattered. You were a great Ranger, Chad, and a great friend." Carter fired a blast from his Rescue Blaster and then Ryan picked a flower for himself.

"Sky Cowboy…you never did give up on that, did you, Joel?" Ryan laughed softly. "You were the humor on the team, Joel and you'll be missed for that." A moment of silence overtook Ryan; he had wished Ms. Fairweather—as he still thought of her—would come to the memorial, but she hadn't been seen since he and Carter had told her about Joel. Then Ryan raised his V-Lancer and fired into the sky, remembering the green Lightspeed Rescue Ranger.

Now it was Dana's turn. She didn't get up from her spot. Ryan handed her a flower and Dana stared at it for a long moment. "Kels…how did this happen? How did it come to this? What am I going to do without you? You were always there when I needed you…who do I have to turn to now?"

Kendrix scooted closer to Dana and Cassie settled on the ground on the other side. "You'll survive because you have us. And we aren't going anywhere." Kendrix said calmly.

Dana turned to face first Kendrix, than Cassie. "Thanks, guys," she said before aiming her Rescue Blaster into the air and firing. The sparks signified the remembrance of a brave Yellow Ranger.

Then Zhane, Andros, Carlos, Ashley, Leo, Kai, Mike, Carter and Ryan joined the three pink Rangers on the hill and they simply sat there, remembering.

* * *

Jason sat at the Juice Bar, staring into his milkshake. He swirled the straw around and around, but his focus wasn't on his drink. It was on his failure.

Kimberly set her hand on his shoulder. "Jason, what's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?"

Jason just shook his head, his feelings too complex to put into words. Kim turned to look at the others in the room, sure that someone else could get through to Jason. But everyone else was wrapped up in their own sorrows.

Billy sat by himself in a corner, his glasses on the table. He was missing Trini, Kimberly knew. The two had been good friends and Billy still couldn't wrap his brain around the fact that his friend was gone. Kimberly noticed that Billy had chosen to sit at a table for three and then she knew he wasn't just missing Trini. He was missing Zack as well, another good friend. The three had been three of the original Rangers and that forged a bond that could not be broken.

Tommy and Kat sat together at a table in the middle of the room, neither one speaking. Rocky and Adam sat in a booth on the other side of the room, both staring at the wall opposite them.

Kimberly turned back to Jason. "Jase, talk to me. I love you. Please, talk to me." When Jason still didn't say anything, Kimberly started to get mad. "It's been two weeks, Jason and you haven't talked to anyone!! Not even me. We're all hurting, Jason, all of us. So why won't you tell us what's going on? What you're feeling? You think we don't care?"

"I failed." Jason whispered. His first words in a week caught the attention of everyone in the room. Billy got up from his table and sat on the stool next to Jason. Tommy, Kat, Rocky and Adam all crowded around Jason and Kimberly, concern for their friend and leader written all over their faces.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, not comprehending.

Jason raised pain-filled eyes to his best friend. "I was the leader. I know you took over the job of leader when you joined the team but I was the first leader. I was the original Red Ranger, Tommy. They were my responsibility. And I failed them. All of them. Not just Trini, Aisha, Zack and Tanya but all of them. Cole, Nick, Madison, Karone, Lucas…all of them. I should have brought them out of this alive. I was the leader."

Billy laid a hand on Jason's shoulder. "You can't beat yourself up like that, Jason. It's not your fault. You fought just as hard as the rest of us-"

"No," Jason cut him off. "No, I didn't. I didn't even fight in the last battle. I didn't fight at all. Cole lost his life fighting in the first battle and then Nick died in the last battle…and I didn't even fight. I'm not a hero. I will never be as good as Wes or Connor."

Kimberly didn't want to hear this. "So you wish you hadn't protected me? That you'd fought instead of protecting me?" A sob caught in her throat.

"No, that's not it. I just feel like I failed them, you know? I'm just trying to deal with my failure. And…" Jason's voice grew quiet. "I really miss them."

Rocky slapped Jason on the shoulder. "We all do, buddy. But the best way to remember them is not to mope around and blame ourselves. It's to continue what they started, to finish their legacy."

Jason nodded and looked up at his friends, glad that he had them by his side to help him deal with his feelings of failure.

* * *

Connor headed down into the lab, ready to be with his friends. Ready to get away for a while. He stepped down the steps and entered the room to find it full of people.

Kira and Trent were sitting in one corner of the room with Ethan nearby. Casey and Lily were talking quietly on the other side of the room while Dominic and Hayley were looking at something on the computer.

"Where's Hunter?" Connor asked Lily as he entered the room.

"He went back to the Ninja Academy to see how Tori's doing and to catch up with the other Ninja Rangers and the Mystic Force Rangers. He'll be back later." Lily's face was red and puffy; she had been crying over Theo again.

Connor walked over to Kira. "You doing all right?" he asked, concerned for a member of his team.

"Fine. Better than Lily, anyway." Kira sighed and tightened her grip on Trent's hand. "It doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Connor dropped into a seat and looked at Trent. He seemed just as confused by his wife's words as Connor was. "What do you mean, Kira?" Trent asked.

"Fair. We didn't lose anyone, Connor. No one. We went in with five and we came out with five." Kira lowered her voice. "I mean, look at Casey. He took five of his people in and only brought three out. Do you know how that's chewing him up inside? Do you know? And Blake and Hunter…they lost Shane and Cam. Rose…oh, God, Rose…she's the _only_ survivor of her whole team. And we came out with no one lost. No one. How is that fair, Connor?"

Connor spared a glance at Casey. The young Red Ranger sat with his face in his hands. He had stopped beating himself up for RJ's and Theo's deaths a few days ago but he still missed them, especially RJ. The man had been his mentor, his teacher, and Casey felt personally responsible for not bringing his teacher home.

"It's not fair, Kir. But you can't blame us for bringing all our people out. We just got lucky. And, well, with Trent and Ethan guarding you and Dr. O guarding Kimberly, I was the only one who really saw action. And, like I said, I guess we just got lucky. But it's not our fault. No one blames us."

"Right." Kira snorted. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Trent grabbed her arm but she wrenched it from his gasp. He and Connor watched as she crossed the room to where Casey sat. Connor glanced at Trent. "She's just feeling guilty." He said. Trent nodded.

Kira tapped Casey on the shoulder. The young man started and looked up. "Yes, Kira? What is it?"

"Tell me the truth, Casey. After I helped your team out, I deserve that much." Kira paused, apparently waiting for Casey to agree to her demand.

"About what, Kira?" Casey asked wearily. His entire posture, tone and everything about him implied that he didn't much care what she was talking about.

"You blame us, don't you? You hate us. All of us. Me. Connor, Ethan. Dr. Oliver and Trent. You hate us. Admit it, Casey! Admit it!" Kira yelled, tears flowing from her eyes—the first tears she'd shed since the fateful mission.

Casey blinked. This wasn't what he expected. "Blame you? For coming out alive? Why would you think that?"

"Because you didn't all come out. We were the only team to not lose anyone. Everyone else has lost someone so don't you blame us? Don't you think it's not fair?"

Casey got to his feet and rested his hands on Kira's shoulders. Everyone in the room was listening in now, all of them feeling pity or sadness. "Kira, we don't blame you. No one blames you. Everyone lost someone, whether they think they did or not. Don't you know that Connor is feeling sad about Shane dying? And Ethan…he feels sad for Doctor Oliver and the loss of his teammates. Trent is missing Cam. So even though you didn't lose anyone from your team, you still lost friends. I guess, to answer your question, Kira, no. We don't blame you for surviving. We're glad you guys are okay. I promise."

Kira's shoulders started to shake. Casey pulled her into a hug and patted her back, whispering, "It's ok…it's ok…it's ok…"

Trent, Connor, Dom, Lily, Hayley and Ethan looked on, feeling their own sorrows and sadness welling up inside them.

* * *

The flash of light subsided and Flynn found himself looking at Dr. K again. He was kneeling on the floor and slowly, he got to his feet.

Ziggy was standing beside him and Dillon and Summer were across the room. Gem held Gemma in his arms behind Summer.

"Rangers! Where have you been?" Dr. K asked, moving around her computer to hug Flynn. "And how did you get back here, I've been working on a way to get you back but I hadn't perfected it yet."

"Captain Mitchell, Hayley and Mr. Hartford figured out a way to bring us back. All of us…" Dillon's voice trailed off.

"But where's Scott?" Dr. K asked suddenly, looking around.

"He's…he's not coming back. He died, on the mission. Mr. Hartford fixed it, with some help from Alpha, to where it's as if he died yesterday. No one here will know he died years in the past, except for us." Summer spoke up.

"No…how…how did it happen?" Dr. K asked. "And how do I know that he didn't die yesterday?"

Flynn picked up a chair and turned it around, then sat on it backwards, "You know because Alpha did something to make it that way; I can't begin to explain it because I don't really understand it myself, tell you the truth. But we can tell you about Scott. And we'll tell you about the mission, if you really want to hear. And we'll tell you about those who didn't make it back. We'll tell you about Nick and Cole and Chad and Trip. We'll tell you about the heroes."

Flynn began to tell a story, a story full of sorrow, a story that ended on a bittersweet note. At the end, he told of the promise all of the Rangers had made. The promise that, if the need should ever arise again, they would come together to defend each other in a heartbeat. And that heartbeat might be coming sooner than expected.

**Author's Note: This was really long and there wasn't much action but I wanted everyone to see how every Ranger was hurting and in pain. Also, this was to help those who didn't read **_**Bound**_** to know who is dead. This story should be really, really good, although right now I have no idea what's going to happen other than what happened in the trailer. So we'll see. And, I would ask you to please, please, please, **_**please**_** read and review. I like to get feedback and know what my readers are thinking! Thanks for reading!!**


	3. Vanish

"Is everything in place?" the cold voice hissed.

"Not yet, milord. Two are not ready. They will be there within the hour, sir." The figure kneeling on the floor raised his head and then quickly lowered it.

"Very good, Silas. Inform me when the pieces are in place. Now go."

Silas jumped to his feet and scrambled backwards, bowing repeatedly. "Yes, milord. I will see that it is done." Then the young man was gone and the only thing left in the great room was the figure shrouded in darkness.

"See that it is."

* * *

Blake didn't know what to do. He had never seen Tori this quiet for this long. He knew she was taking the losses of Shane and Cam very hard, but he didn't know if she would ever stop grieving.

"Hunter! Hunter, where are you?" Blake called as he walked the corridors of the Thunder Academy.

"Right here." Hunter stepped out from a doorway and gaped at his brother. "Blake. What are you wearing?"

Blake looked down at his Hawaiian shots and bright blue shirt. "What? You don't like my outfit?"

"Never mind. What's wrong?" Hunter waved a hand in the air dismissively, still chuckling over Blake's clothes.

"I'm worried about Tori. She just mopes around all the time and never leaves the Academy except to go sit on the hill and just stare at the school. She won't play with Andrew either and I don't know why." Blake and Hunter started to walk down the hall.

"She's hurting, Blake. We all are. She lost her leader and two of her best friends. And I know she's feeling the pain of losing the Overdrive Rangers too. You can't begrudge her those feelings, Blake." Hunter turned to look at his brother.

"I know that, Hunter. I just want to help her. Help her have a little fun, maybe."

Hunter nodded. "I understand. I took Lily sailing yesterday and I think it was a good idea." Hunter handed Blake a set of keys. "Here, take these. Take her out in the boat. It'll give you some time to think and to talk."

"Thanks, man." Blake said gratefully. He smacked Hunter on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Hunter's voice stopped him. "Love her, Blake. That is the one thing you can do that will mean the most. Show her your love."

Blake nodded and left the Thunder Academy.

* * *

Connor had been waiting in the alley for thirty minutes before the person he was waiting on showed up.

"How're they doing at your end, Connor?" Tommy asked as he reached the end of the alley.

"Not so good, Dr. Oliver. They're all still reeling. Kira thinks everyone blames us for surviving. She's worried about something too, her and Trent, but they won't tell me. Rose can barely function. We're not ready, Dr. O. Nowhere near ready."

Tommy nodded. "Mine aren't either. Rocky and Adam miss Aisha. Jason holds everyone's deaths on his own shoulders. We're in trouble, Connor. Big trouble."

"What's going down? Why did you need to meet me?" Connor frowned.

"Because evil is coming. Soon. And we're not ready to deal with it, Connor. If we have to fight now, we're doomed. Who do you have from your teams who could fight now? How many?"

Connor thought for a moment. "Hunter. Me. Wes. Jen. Ryan. Maybe two or three more. But that's it. Blake too, I guess. Most of my girls are not ready, physically or emotionally."

Tommy sighed. "I don't have many either. Leo, definitely. Possibly Carlos and Billy; maybe Kai. I guess the big question is—if they have to fight, will they? Or have they done enough?"

There was a brief pause and then Connor shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Tommy. I know they've done enough, heck, more than enough. But will they do more? I don't know, Dr. O. I don't know."

* * *

"You ever think about quitting?" Rose asked Xander as they walked the deserted hallways of the Hartford mansion. "Just giving up the powers and walking away? I mean, look at what we've been through just recently. We've done our part, ya know?"

Xander didn't answer for a moment. "Sometimes," he admitted honestly. "Yeah, I do. Just hanging up the cape and putting away the wand. But then I think of all the people who count on the Power Rangers and I can't ever quit. Why, Rose? Are you ready to throw in the towel?"

"No…" Rose answered slowly. "I don't think so." Her steps began to falter and she put a hand to her healing side. Xander took her other arm and draped it over his shoulder. Then he turned and headed for the door. "Sometimes," Rose continued. "I don't think I could ever don my suit again, Xander. Not without seeing them every time I did."

"I gotcha." Xander nodded. He squeezed Rose's shoulder and smiled sadly. "I think we've done our part for now, Rose. Now all we can do is live day to day and just hope evil stays quiet for a while."

* * *

Kira sat on the picnic table outside Reefside High School, idly strumming her guitar. She closed her eyes and started to sing, not noticing the man approaching.

"Where have you gone, how could you leave me? Said you'd always be there, never let go. And now you're gone, never to return, not coming back and where do I go from here?"

A branch snapped and Kira's eyes snapped open. Her fingers stilled on the guitar strings as she looked around to see who was approaching. A tired smile came to her lips once she saw it was Trent.

"Trent. You just gave me a heart attack." Kira joked.

Trent hopped up on top of the table with Kira. He rested his hand on her knee. "Sorry, babe. I didn't want to interrupt your song. I liked it by the way, what I heard of it. Who is it by?"

Kira didn't meet his gaze. Instead, she looked down at her guitar and answered. "Me. It's mine."

Trent looked confused. "But, we didn't lose anyone. I don't understand."

"It's not a song about me, Trent." Kira was getting angry for no explicable reason. "Does it have to be about me just because I wrote it?!"

Holding his hands up in surrender, Trent leaned away. "Whoa! Sorry, sweetheart. I was just curious."

Kira sighed. "I know. It's just that Tori asked me to sing at Shane and Cam's funerals. I didn't know what to sing so I decided to write a song. Then Xander showed up and said Rose wanted me to play at Mack's funeral and so I told him sure, I could do that. But it's so hard, Trent. How do I put their feelings in a song?" Kira took a deep breath and spoke more quietly. "And I keep thinking…what if we got lucky this time? What if our number's up next time? What if I write this song for Shane's funeral but it's my funeral that it's sung at?"

Trent felt his strength crumbling. Kira hadn't shown any fear since the mission. She hadn't acted as if she worried about tomorrow. She seemed to be the strongest of them all. But now…now he saw her true vulnerability and it made him weep for her. He reached out and took her guitar, pulling the strap gently over her head. Tears were flowing from her eyes and he wiped them away with his right thumb as he took hold of the neck of her guitar with his left hand and carefully set it behind him. Then he wrapped both arms around Kira and pulled her close to him. She buried her face in his shirt as Trent held her tightly.

"You don't have to worry, Kira. I will never, ever let anything happen to you. No more harm will ever come your way. I promise." Trent whispered in her ear. "I promise." He whispered again.

* * *

Early the next day, Trent found Connor and Hunter at Storm Chargers. He'd had Dr. O's computer lock onto their morphers so he could find them. They weren't doing anything, just hanging out. Getting away.

"Hey, Trent, what's up?" Hunter asked as Trent walked over to them.

"How's Kira doing?" Connor asked, concern for one of his best friends evident in his tone. "She doesn't seem to be feeling too well lately."

Trent took a deep breath and looked each of his friends in the eye. "She's pregnant, guys. Maybe a month and a half along when she was captured by the Overlord."

Hunter whistled. "Wow. That's a heavy load. Does anyone else know about this?"

"No. She doesn't want me to tell anyone. She thinks people will treat her like she's going to break if they know. And, she won't promise me that she'll sit out any battles that might be coming. Trust me, we've been arguing that point since we got back to Reefside. Kira says she can kick anyone's butt, even pregnant." Trent ran his hands through his hair.

"Did you tell her that it's not only her safety she has to worry about? That if she fights, she'll be putting the baby at risk? Maybe that'll make her realize it's not a good idea to be out fighting right now." Connor shrugged.

"Yeah, I tried that. She's not going to listen to me. So I'm just hoping that we don't have any danger for the next nine months. But somehow, I have this feeling that that's too much to hope for. In case something should happen to me, I wanted to make sure someone else knew what was going on with her. Even though she explicitly told me not to tell anyone. So…you guys just keep an eye on her, please. And don't tell her I told you."

Hunter and Connor nodded their agreement and the three fell to talking about other things.

* * *

Blake and Tori sat on the boat, neither one speaking, both just looking out at the water. Tori shivered slightly and Blake shucked his motocross jacket, putting it around her shoulders.

"So why'd we come out here, Blake?" Tori asked finally, breaking the silence.

"Just thought it might help you to relax if we just took some time to be still. Just to think. Get away from the world for a while, ya know? Leave Andrew with Sensei for a while." Blake took her hand in his and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly. "And because I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need-"

His words were cut off by the urgent ringing of Tori's cell phone. She pulled it out and checked the readout. It was Hunter. "What's up, Hunter?" Tori asked as she answered the call.

"Tori, thank God you're ok! Are you with Blake?" Hunter was nearly shouting, his relief was so great.

"Yeah, we're on the boat. Why, what's going on?" Tori looked at Blake questioningly; he shook his head, just as confused as her.

"Lily just disappeared. I can't find her anywhere. I was supposed to take her to dinner but…" Hunter's voice was getting even louder.

"Hunter! Calm down. I'm sure she's just at JKP. Check with Casey." Tori leaned against the edge of the boot and didn't notice when the boat suddenly tilted a little bit, as if all the weight had been shifted to her end. She stared out at the waves.

"She's not, that's what I'm telling you! And Casey's not there either. I talked to Dominic and he said Casey hasn't come back from a delivery. Something's wrong, Tori. How fast can you get back here?"

Tori was sure Hunter was overreacting but she decided to placate him. "We'll…" her voice trailed off as she turned to check with Blake.

He was gone. She scrambled to his side of the boat and peered down into the water, sure he had just lost his balance and fallen overboard. But there was no sign of him, not even a rippling in the water.

"Blake! Blake, where are you?" she cried. There was no response.

Hunter's voice came from the phone's speaker. "What's going on, Tori? What's wrong?"

Tori brought the phone to her ear. "Blake's gone. Hunter…"

"I'm getting the Glider Cycle out now. I'll be there in five minutes. Don't worry, Tor. We'll figure this out."

Closing the phone, Tori sat back in the boat and began to cry.

* * *

"It is done, milord," Silas said from where he knelt on the floor.

"Good. Now…we wait." The dark figure chuckled and it was a very evil sound.

**Author's Note: Please review! Please add this to your Favorite stories but please also review it! A big thanks goes out to Pinkranger888 because she is the only one who has reviewed **_**Heartbeat**_** so far! Thanks Lina! Enjoy the story!**


	4. How Many?

Tori sat in the boat, alternating between silence and crying out Blake's name. She was at a loss as to what was going on. Where had Blake gone? And what had Hunter meant, that Casey was gone too? Hadn't they been through enough lately, enough pain, enough mystery?

The sound of the Glider Cycle interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see the bike coming to hover just above the boat.

Hunter leaned down and held out his hand. "Grab my hand, Tori!" he shouted, straining as far as he could and nearly falling off his bike in the process.

Tori shook her head. "I can't leave Blake's boat! I won't!"

"Now, Tori!" Hunter yelled. "I'll get the boat later! Come on!"

After a long hesitation, Tori stood and grabbed Hunter's hand. With a groan and a strong pull, Hunter hauled her up behind him on the bike. She settled onto the seat and gripped Hunter tight around the waist. Then he turned the Glider and sped back the way he'd come. The wind whipped through Tori's hair and she buried her face into Hunter's jacket, letting the wind blow away her tears.

Eventually, Tori realized they weren't heading for Blue Bay Harbor. "Hunter!" she called. He cocked his head to the side so she assumed he'd heard her. "Where are we going? Why aren't you headed for Blue Bay Harbor?"

Hunter's voice sounded very far away as he answered only her first question. "Reefside!"

Tori's mind filled with a hundred questions but she could think of just one to ask right away. "Why?" She figured that covered everything anyway.

"To meet Connor!" Hunter hollered back, as if that explained everything and nothing.

After that, neither one spoke until Hunter set the Glider Cycle down outside of Tommy's lab. Tori swung her leg over the seat of the bike and followed Hunter towards the door. Before he reached it, Tori grabbed his arm.

"Why Connor? Why are we here to see him?" Tori pulled on Hunter's arm, causing him to turn and face her. "What's so special about Connor?"

Hunter sighed. "Why can't you just wait and see?" His question must have been rhetorical so he continued talking. "Because Connor is in charge of the later Ranger teams. His team is the most informed, the team that's kept tabs on everyone else. So Dr. Oliver is keeping an eye on the original Rangers through the Lost Galaxy Rangers while Connor keeps watch on Lightspeed Rescue to Jungle Fury. It works out pretty well. And as far as I know, Connor hasn't mysteriously vanished. So we're coordinating through him. Now come on."

Tori followed Hunter through the house and down the stairs into the lab. When they got there, there were just three other people in the room. One was Connor. Xander and Rose stood slightly behind him, Xander with his arm still around the pink Overdrive Ranger. Connor heard their footsteps and turned around.

"Oh, Tori, I'm glad you're still here. We've got a problem." Connor pointed at the computer. "About an hour ago, I was talking to Trent on the phone when he suddenly stopped talking. I was still connected but he was no longer speaking. So I called Kira and when she answered I asked her if she knew where Trent was. She did and she's on her way there now, to see what's going on with him. So here we are. We are the only ones left." Connor waved his hand to include himself, Hunter, Tori, Rose and Xander.

"Sorry, what?" Tori asked. "This is it? The five of us and Kira…you're saying we're the only ones left? No way; that can't be possible."

Connor held up his hand. "Perhaps I was being a little eager. Out of the Rangers I've managed to contact, we are the only ones left. I don't know who is left on Tommy's end and I haven't been able to get through to the Animarium. I called around and haven't reached the Lightspeed Rangers yet. Plus, no one answered at the pizza parlor. But I would imagine that not many others are alive either."

"What do you mean, not alive? How do you know they're dead?" Tori asked, her panic escalating as the thought occurred to her that Blake might not just be captured, held somewhere, but that he might be dead.

Xander spoke then, trying to calm Tori. "He's not saying their dead. We're just saying we haven't been able to reach them. And I know that Daggeron, Chip and Vida disappeared en route to Montreal for a vacation. Have you talked to anyone, Hunter?"

"Yeah. I talked to Dom and he said Casey is gone. And I can't find Lily. Anywhere. Dustin either." Hunter paused. "So who do you still need to hear from?"

"Carter, Ryan and Dana. The Wild Force Rangers and the Time Force Rangers. And Tommy, just so we can find out abou-" Connor's attention was suddenly on the computer as a flashing message appeared.

"It's Jason." Connor said. His face gradually went pale. "He says Tommy's missing. Says that he's bringing the other Rangers, the ones he can find, here to the lab."

Tori dropped into a chair and covered her face with her hands. "This sucks," she muttered.

Hunter pulled out his personal cell phone. "I can get in touch with Eric—he and Wes provided security for a moto race once and I got his number there, just in case we ever needed his team or they needed us. Are they on the Animarium?" As he waited for Connor to reply, Hunter punched in Eric's number and held it to his ear. Connor nodded but didn't answer as he was busy composing a reply message to Jason.

* * *

Eric walked through the Animarium, looking for Taylor. She was supposed to meet him an hour ago and he still hadn't found her. Her Eagle Wild Zord wheeled through the air above him and Eric looked up at it.

"Hey, Eagle!" he called. "Where's Taylor…aw, forget it. Even if the stupid thing could answer, I wouldn't understand it."

Just then, his phone rang. Sitting down on a nearby rock, Eric fished the device out of his pocket and flipped it open. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hey, Eric, it's Hunter Bradley. Listen, we wanted to check in and make sure you and Wes and Jen are all right." Hunter's voice sounded urgent.

"I'm fine. We're on the Animarium with the Wild Force Rangers. I just saw Wes about thirty minutes ago but I don't know where Jen is right this second. Why, Hunter, what's going on?" Eric asked, confused.

Hunter didn't waste time. "Ok, well, can you get all the Rangers who are still on the Animarium and come to the lab? Everyone's disappearing, Eric. Lily, Dustin, Tommy…they're all just gone. We need to figure out what's going on."

Eric started to get a bad feeling in his gut. "Ok, Hunter, we'll be there as soon as possible." He snapped the phone shut and shoved it back in his pocket. Then he took off at a run for the spot where he'd last seen Wes.

When he got there, Wes looked up as his friend skidded to a stop in front of him. "Eric? What's going on?"

"Where's Jen?" Eric asked, his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath.

"I don't know. She went on a walk; I haven't seen her in a couple of hours. Why?"

"Something's going on. We need to find everyone who is still on the Animarium and get to the lab. Call Jen. I'm calling Taylor."

Eric lifted his morpher to his mouth. "Taylor!! Taylor, this is Eric. Respond." Usually, his morpher wouldn't contact another team but his was specially modified. "Taylor!"

Wes was having the same trouble getting through to Jen. Just then, Princess Shayla came dashing up the pathway.

"Rangers! Rangers!" she cried as she ran, her white dress billowing behind her.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked, the feeling of dread intensifying.

"It's Taylor…and Danny…I was talking to both of them on the other side of the Animarium and they both just vanished!! While I was talking to them, they just disappeared! I don't know what happened but I ran here to tell you. Do you know what is going on?" Princess Shayla didn't appear to be out of breath at all.

"Something bad." Wes said, standing up and moving to stand beside Eric. "We need to go. Have you seen Jen?" Wes asked.

"No, not lately. I'll stay here and maybe they'll come back." Princess Shayla sat on a rock, gathering her dress around her.

Eric knelt in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. "I don't know what's going on, Princess Shayla but, if I don't come back, keep Callie and Shay safe please. Don't let anything happen to them."

"And Alex, too, please. I intend to come back but, just in case." Wes added. Princess Shayla nodded and assured them she had it all under control.

Wes looked at Eric. "Let's go." Then the two Rangers turned and ran for where Eric's TF Eagle sat. They lifted off and were at the lab in less than ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Xander had managed to contact the pizza parlor. A very frazzled Fran had answered and said that Dominic was already on his way to the lab and that, yes, Casey was gone and no, she was not going to be able to run the pizza parlor by herself and what did they think was going on and when would Dom, Casey and Lily be back and how was she supposed to make pizzas, wait tables and take money all by herself? Xander very politely told Fran to breathe and said that Hayley would be coming over to help.

By the time Wes and Eric arrived, Dominic was also pulling up in the JKP pizza cart. The three headed inside and joined the others in the laboratory. They all looked at Connor expectantly.

"Ok, guys, here's the problem. I have no idea what's going on. Kira should be on her way here as should Jason and all the remaining Rangers from his end of the legacy. Aside from that, well, we don't know why Rangers just disappeared. We don't know why some of us remained. We simply don't know. I'm hoping Jason will have more information when he gets here."

A voice from the doorway interrupted Connor. "I'm afraid I don't know much more than you do, Connor."

Jason entered the room, followed by four people. Leo, Zhane, Billy and Kimberly looked like they were in shock. Leo had his arm around Kim and was supporting her. Andros walked alone, deep in thought.

"This is it?" Xander blurted. His attention was drawn back to the door as Kira slipped inside.

"This is it. We are all that's left." Jason plopped down in a chair.

"Not quite." Another voice came from behind them. Jason spun around to see Ryan Mitchell enter the room.

"Ryan!" Connor called, relieved. "I couldn't reach you guys. Carter, Dana? Are they okay?"

"Sorry about that, Connor. We had just left the Space Rangers and the Galaxy Rangers and were headed back to Mariner Bay. We were in the Rescue Rover but Carter and Dana wanted to go to this meadow they know about so I went on back and left them the Rover. I haven't heard from them so I guess they've vanished too. Then I had to take care of something at my Dad's Aquabase before I could leave Mariner Bay."

Jason was suspicious. "Well, how'd you know we were here?"

Ryan shrugged. "When I got to Mariner Bay, my Dad told me what had happened. So here I am."

Connor looked around. Fifteen Rangers stood in the lab. Fifteen against whatever was causing the others to disappear. He didn't know if they could get back the ones they'd already lost or if they were destined to lose more.

* * *

Dana wandered across the meadow lightly dusted with snow. She didn't know what was going on, only that Carter was gone and she didn't know where he had disappeared to. Snowflakes fell through the air and caught in her hair, but she didn't notice. Her thoughts were in too much turmoil.

As she walked, she called, "Carter! Carter! Carter!" When she was sure he wasn't going to answer her, she knew something was wrong. She knew history was about to repeat itself. "Not again…not again…not again." She whispered.

Slowly, she began to make her way back to the Rescue Rover, hoping that Carter would be there to greet her.

**Author's Note: So here we are…not many Rangers left. And you've no idea how it pained me to pare it down to this few. I love Casey and didn't want to vanish him but for purposes of later chapters, he had to go. And I love Carter and Blake and so many others but they just wouldn't have fit in. The main one I felt bad about vanishing was Lily because I had just started to explore her relationship with Hunter in **_**Bound**_** so that was a toughy. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, cause it took a long time to write.**

**Here's a shout-out to those who reviewed **_**Heartbeat**_** so far: **

**Thanks to Pinkranger888 for reviewing—there will be Hunter angst, don't worry…he's lost his love just when he found her, he's gonna be kinda upset though he is holding it in for right now.**

**Thanks to Ms. Fairweather for reviewing!! Any reviews count and I understand not having much time!**

**And thanks to Dare-deviless for reviewing! Not really a double attack on Hunter but he is one of my favorite characters and will be featured a lot in this story. And I hope this chapter was a bit longer…I tried!**

**So thank you guys for reviewing! I appreciate it very much when my inbox says "Review alert". It makes me very happy!**

**On that note…power down.**


	5. Split

"This is dumb. I'm going to look for Trent." Kira slapped her palms on her knees and stood. "We're not accomplishing anything just standing here."

"Kira, wait. We need to stick together. We're less likely to get attacked if we stay in a group." Connor protested, grabbing her arm and keeping her in place.

Tori shot him a look of incredulity. "Stick together? That's your great idea?" she asked, jumping into the conversation. "I was _with_ Blake when he disappeared. I was _there_. Being together didn't save him and it won't save us now. We have to find the missing Rangers. I have to find Blake."

Now Jason was getting involved. "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger, right? At least that's what Adam told me. And that means we're a team. If you want to go running off, fine. Die alone." He shrugged and cross his arms, leaning back in his seat, apparently indifferent to what decision would be made.

Hunter added his two cents. "Tori, you're not thinking clearly. Blake wouldn't want you to risk your life, to risk everything, looking for him. So let's just chill out and try to figure out what's going on. Please?"

Rose leaned over to Xander and whispered, "Someone needs to take charge. If we split up, we're dead. At least together, we have strength in numbers, right? Say something, Xander. They'll follow you."

Xander smiled sadly. "We do need a leader, true. But that's not me."

Rose looked at him. "Then who is it?"

He jerked his head towards one of the Red Rangers. "It's Connor." Stretching, he leaned over as far as he could and smacked Connor's head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Connor hissed.

"Take charge, dude. Tommy put you in control of our half of the legacy. So do what you have to."

Connor swallowed hard and got to his feet, facing off with Kira. "Sit down, Kira." Connor said quietly. "Now."

Kira looked shocked that he would order her around like that, but she slowly took her seat again. Now everyone's eyes were on Connor, who was shifting his weight uneasily from foot to foot. Xander mimicked Jason's pose of complete indifference.

"Ummm…I'm taking charge," Connor stammered. Kira snorted. Connor glared at her. "Look, I don't want to be in charge but someone has to be. Dr. Oliver told me to report to him on the well-being of the Lightspeed team through the Jungle Fury team. He had faith in me. So I'm going to do what he would want me to do."

Kimberly finally spoke up. "You? I think that if Tommy would have chosen one of us to lead, it would be Jason. He was the first leader. Tommy would know he is capable. Sorry, Connor, but I follow Jason."

Connor looked crestfallen, as if he hadn't expected anyone to openly doubt his capability. Jason glanced quickly at Connor then uncrossed his arms and rested his elbows on his knees. He leaned forward. "I don't want to be the leader. Connor is one of the most capable Rangers I have ever met. Tommy has told me all about your team and the battles you've fought. He always said he couldn't have picked a better leader. I follow Connor."

Xander was quick to agree. "Me too." Rose nodded. Wes, Dom and Eric shook their heads in agreement. Zhane, Billy, Ryan and Kim didn't say anything. Hunter grinned and said, "Guess you're in charge then, McKnight."

Connor held up his hand, his attention still focused on Tori and Kira. "Not yet."

Kira looked at Tori who looked at the ground. Then Kira looked back at Connor. "I have to find him. You don't understand," she whispered.

Spreading his hands out in front of him, Connor spoke quietly. "Kira, we will find him. And Ethan and Dr. O and Blake—we'll get them all back. But we need to work together. Live together or die alone. So what do you say?"

"Sorry, Connor. I can't." Kira sounded as if she were about to cry. She didn't wait for Connor's reply but just ran from the room. Tori glanced at Hunter before following Kira.

Connor dropped his head into his hands. "Anyone else want to go? Anyone else got a problem with me being in charge?" It was clear from the sound of his voice that Kira and Tori leaving had hurt his confidence and self-esteem.

Leo got to his feet. "Really, Leo? You're leaving?" Zhane asked, speaking for the first time. "Can't say I saw that one coming."

"Someone's got to go with them. I'm not letting two girls go out alone when we don't know what's really going on. Don't worry—I'll check in and keep you guys posted." Leo patted Connor on the shoulder, then leaned down and whispered, "You'll be a great leader. I have faith in you. And once I convince Tori and Kira to come back, I will follow your lead in this battle."

With that, Leo strode from the room. Connor found himself facing Jason, Billy and Kimberly, three of the original Rangers, Zhane, the alien from KO-35, Ryan and Hunter who had both once been evil, Xander, wielder of magic, Rose, whose entire team had been killed before her eyes, and Dominic, the controller of the Rhino Spirit. And he was supposed to lead them. He sighed.

* * *

Kira had her Raptor Cycle out before Tori even emerged from the house. She revved the engine but a shout from the blue Ninja Ranger stopped her from speeding off.

"Wait. I'll come with you. Together, we can find Blake and Trent." Tori set her hand on the handlebars of Kira's bike.

Kira instantly latched onto the order of the names: Blake first and then Trent and she knew Tori cared more about Blake. In Kira's worried state, she didn't care that she herself cared more about Trent than Blake. Instead, she pushed Tori's hand off the bike and said angrily, "I'm going to find Trent. You do what you have to do to find Blake but don't except me to help. I have my own problems." Kira gunned her bike's engine and roared off, leaving Tori looking after her, shocked and hurt. Kira hated herself for her harsh words as she rode off before her thoughts quickly turned to where Trent might be.

Tori didn't stand there for long. She didn't blame Kira for being more worried about Trent but she did resent Kira saying she didn't care to work with Tori. Then she shook her head and brought her morpher to her mouth. She called her Tsunami Cycle and swung her leg over the bike's seat.

Closing her eyes, she whispered, "I'm coming, Blake" and then she sped off, just as Leo ran from the house. "Tori!" he shouted, but she was too far away to hear him.

Leo had no idea where she was going but he knew he needed to go after her, try to catch up. Maybe it was his broken heart missing Kendrix but he felt very protective of both Tori and Kira. So he called his own bike and was about to climb on when a movement at the edge of the tree line caught his attention. He peered towards the trees and thought he saw a figure moving.

Leo jogged towards the trees, hoping that maybe another Ranger had escaped and maybe this would be the breakthrough to find out what had happened. He prayed that it would be Kendrix who emerged from the trees. He ran through the first trees, looking left and right for that person he'd seen.

"Hello?" he called, still running forward. "Kai? Kendrix?"

Suddenly, a figure stumbled out from behind a tree to Leo's left. The person fell to their knees as Leo skidded to a stop. Leo backtracked to where the person lay on the ground. The person wasn't moving and his brown hair was streaked and matted with blood. His red jacket hung on his shoulder and was ripped in multiple places. Carefully, Leo rolled the guy over.

It was Casey Rhodes. Casey's eyes were wide and darting from left to right. A large wound covered nearly all of Casey's forehead, blood running down his face and matting the hair hanging in his eyes. Suddenly, Casey seemed to focus on Leo and his hand shot up to grab Leo's wrist.

"Casey? Casey, are you ok? What happened, man?" Leo asked.

"Help me up. They're right behind me. I have to run, lead them away from here or they will find you guys and capture you." Casey's words came in short gasps as he rambled. "I thought I'd gotten away or I would never have come here, never have brought them here. But they're still behind me. You have to help me, Leo. They're almost here!" Casey tried to get to his feet but fell back to the ground. Leo grabbed his arms and helped him up, where he stood shaking.

"Who's they? Who's chasing you?" Leo asked urgently. Casey shook his head and turned to face away from the lab, nearly falling. He took one step before Leo stopped him.

"You've got to come with me. We need to know what happened, Casey!" Leo hissed.

"I can't. They won't stop until they have all of us. And they can't think I told you anything. Let me go, Leo!" Casey tried to jerk free but Leo simply tightened his grip.

Before Casey had time to react, to flinch or back away, Leo stretched out his hand and ran it through the blood on Casey's cheek. Then he skimmed his hand over Casey's wound, causing the Tiger Master to recoil and yell in pain.

"What the heck are you doing?" Casey asked heatedly, fighting to keep his voice down.

Leo took his hand, which was dripping blood and smeared it across his own forehead and into his hair. He held out his other hand to Casey.

"Give me your jacket." He ordered. When Casey made no move or answer, Leo's voice grew hard. "Now, Casey. Trust me."

Casey shucked his jacket and slapped it into Leo's hand. Leo wiped his bloody hand on his jeans and slipped into the jacket. He spoke to Casey in a low, rushed whisper.

"The lab is just back there, through the trees. Hide behind a tree or something until I've led them away. Then go to the lab. Make sure Connor knows what happened to you. And follow him. He may not look or seem like a leader but he's a good guy. He'll do a good job. Follow him. Now hide."

But Casey made no move to hide. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his Solar Morpher which he pressed into Leo's hand. "It'll activate for you; just say "Jungle Beast, spirit unleashed." That's the activation code. The words "Shark Sabers" will get you some wicked swords. If you have this, they'll think you're me and they'll think they've got me. Then you can turn the tables on them or whatever it is you plan to do." Leo closed his hand over the glasses but Casey added one more thing. "That's just a loaner, pal. I want them back."

Leo nodded but before he could speak, sounds were suddenly heard deeper in the forest. A branch snapped. Leaves crinkled. Casey clapped his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Don't let them get within five feet of you. That's when they can vanish you. Good luck."

Then Casey turned and ran a few paces, coming to stop under a large oak tree. He wiped blood out of his eyes and, with a grunt of pain, grabbed the lowest branch. Quickly, he managed to lose himself in the branches.

Leo smeared the blood on his face a little more and then ran straight towards the noise. He did his best to make sure he ran as if he were greatly injured. He cradled his arm against his chest and dragged his right foot behind him. Making his breath labored, he burst through the trees into a small clearing.

In the clearing were five hooded figures. Leo kept his head down, trying to keep up the pretense that he wasn't Leo Corbett, red Galaxy Ranger but that he was Casey Rhodes, red Jungle Fury Ranger. He let Casey's Solar Morpher slip through his grip, dangling from his fingers.

"There he is!" one of the hooded people exclaimed. Leo ran on but a laser blast in the back threw him to the ground. He rolled and got to his knees, making it look more painful than it really was, even though his back felt like it was on fire. Leo got his feet under him and staggered away a few paces before another blast hit him. This time, it threw him up against a tree. Leo continued to keep his face to the ground but now he had an ulterior motive. Now he was looking for a way to defend himself. His eyes landed on a long stick. The four figures were getting closer when Leo lunged forward and grabbed the branch, coming up with his back against the trunk of the tree again. He slid Casey's Solar Morpher onto his face and lashed out with his improvised weapon.

The stick struck the lead figure across the head and it stumbled back, another one taking its place. Leo swung back and forth and managed to keep the figures at bay until the one he'd hit got back to its feet. With blinding speed, its hand shot out and grabbed Leo's stick, yanking it from his grasp. Leo grinned and pressed the button on the side of Casey's morpher.

"Jungle beast, spirit unleashed!" he cried. Seconds later, he stood in a red biosuit that was completely unfamiliar to him but felt imbibed with strength.

"Shark Sabers!" Leo shouted. Once the swords were in his hands, he waded in and slashed left and right. He hoped his morphing suit wouldn't flicker away and reveal him to not be Casey. His only option was to destroy his attackers but that didn't seem to be too likely as he took a hit to the gut which was followed by a series of karate chops that drove him to his face in the dirt, his biosuit flickering away. Knowing that Casey's survival depended on his keeping up the pretense, Leo thought quickly and dragged his hand through the dirt. Quickly, he rubbed it on his face into the blood already there. Then he felt hands on his shoulders.

Two of the attackers dragged Leo to his feet and held him between them. He let his head drop, trying to look defeated as he shook the sleeve of Casey's jacket down over his Transmorpher, hoping to keep it hidden until he needed it.

"You thought you could escape, Red Jungle Ranger?" the lead figure laughed. His hand flicked out and he pulled Casey's morpher from Leo's face, throwing it to the ground and stepping on it. A _crunch_ sounded as the morpher broke in two. Leo cringed. Casey was not going to like that.

The lead figure turned to one of the two holding Leo. "Let's go."

Leo looked up just for a second to see the forest around him disappear. He knew he had just been vanished.

* * *

Casey waited for a long time before he climbed down out of the tree and set off towards Dr. Oliver's lab. His head was throbbing and he thought a bone might be broken in his leg. Plus, some of his wounds from the Overlord's torture had been reopened. He thought of Leo and hoped the brave man would be okay.

He emerged from the trees and crossed the yard to the front door of the house. He went to the front door and twisted the handle. A loud alarm began to blare and Casey slapped his hands over his ears. Five seconds after it had started, the siren cut off. A woman's voice spoke.

"State your name, color and team. Then name three of the five Peace Warrior Rangers. Failure to do so correctly will result in your termination. You have one minute."

Casey said quickly, "Casey Rhodes, red, Jungle Fury." Then he drew a blank. _Peace Warrior Rangers,_ he thought,_ who are they? That team with the blonde chick? Or the wizard dudes? It's not Connor's team, I know they're Dino Thunder and Hunter's team is Ninja Storm. What about that guy with the streaked hair, what team is he? Crap! I don't know this!!_

"Thirty seconds," the voice said.

"Connor!! Connor!" Casey screamed, hoping that the guy hadn't vanished, was inside and would hear him. "Connor!" He threw his arms over his face, sure he was about to get vaporized. "This isn't happening, isn't real, doesn't exist."

"Correct." The voice said and the door swung open. Casey looked up. "Huh?" he asked dumbly. "I didn't even answer the question!"

He wasn't about to stay on the deathtrap front porch though so he headed inside. The first things he saw when he entered were four Rangers, fully morphed with weapons held ready.

Casey's gaze traveled from a Thundermax Saber to Connor's red helmet to the Crimson Blaster to Hunter's crimson helmet and then back down to the Rhino Blade and up to Dominic's white helmet. His eyes flicked to a pair of Chrono Sabers and up to Wes' red helmet. Finally, he saw a Power Sword and up to Jason's red helmet.

"It's okay!" Casey held up his hands. "It's Casey!"

Connor powered down while the other four looked even more alert. "Casey?" Connor asked. "How did you get here?" Dominic took a step forward but a restraining arm from Jason held him in his place.

Casey felt as if his legs were about to collapse underneath him. "I got away. I met Leo in the woods and he took my jacket and morpher to pretend to be me. He led the people after me away and I came here. I have information."

Now Hunter powered down but retained his Blaster. He stepped closer to Casey and peered at him. "Oh yeah? Pretty convenient, isn't it? Just happened to run into Leo, is that right? Sure. We've seen the evil clone trick before."

Casey pressed his hand to his side, wincing in pain. "I'm not kidding, Hunter! I swear. Look, no morpher," Casey pulled out the pockets of his pants to show they were empty. Then he looked at Connor, hoping his gamble would pay off as he said, "Leo said to find you, Connor. He said to follow you, that you are a good guy and a good leader. Please. I'm telling the truth."

Connor looked at Jason. "I believe him. I think we need to know what he knows."

Jason nodded slowly. "I agree. But we keep him guarded, for a while. Just till we're sure it's really Casey. Volunteer?"

Wes nodded. "I'll do it." He stepped over next to Casey and draped the kid's arm over his shoulders. "I'm going to see if Hayley can clean him up a little, doctor his wound some. We'll meet you guys in the lab or you can find us in Tommy's den." He walked off, his Chronosabers still in his hand, ready if he needed them.

As soon as the two were out of the room, Jason and Dom powered down. Jason rubbed his hands together and looked at Connor. "So? What do you guys think? Is he telling the truth?"

"Yeah. I think he's legit. If he hadn't really met Leo, how would he have known Connor was in charge? No way an imposter would have known that." Dom had a thoughtful look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Connor nodded. "You know what this means, though?"

"They have Leo." Jason answered. "We need to find out what Casey knows."

Hunter raised his hand slightly. "I'll go tell Xander and the others that it was Casey who set off the alarm. You guys go interrogate him."

So Connor, Jason and Dominic headed towards Tommy's den. In the room they found Wes, Eric, Hayley and Casey.

"Hey, Eric." Connor said in surprise. "How'd you know Casey was in here?"

"Wes told me." The dark-haired, brooding young man held his Quantum Defender aimed at Casey who sat in the middle of the room.

Casey looked up at Connor. "So you need answers?"

Connor nodded and took a seat. "Everything you can tell me. Whatever you can tell me."

Casey bit back a sudden scream as Hayley abruptly set his broken leg. "Wow. You'd think I'd be immune to pain after everything I've had to deal with lately but no. Still hurts." He took a deep breath. "Okay. What I know. I was delivering a pizza when an old woman wearing a faded yellow dress walked towards me. She looked hurt so I stopped to help her. Next thing I know, I'm in a large room, surrounded by five hooded people with swords. Other figures lay on the ground all around me but I couldn't make out who they were. The cloaked guys attacked me and I fought back. I finally called out my Tiger Spirit, which they didn't seem to be expecting. So I escaped and ran but they chased me. I ran through woods and came here. One of them caught up with me and we fought. For every hit I landed, he landed two. That's how I broke my leg and gashed my face. I ran again, well, limped is more like it, and that's when I met Leo. And now I'm here."

Jason looked at Casey. "And they didn't say who they were? Or who did this?"

"All they said was that they were back. And we better watch out."

**Author's Note: Hopefully, you have some clue as to who the bad guy's minions are…there was one clue embedded in this chapter. PLEASE please read and review. I love to know what you guys think, especially if you have an idea as to what's going to happen!! Thanks so much!!**


	6. Lost

Flynn was sitting alone. Dillon was with Summer, staying by her side as she recovered. Gem and Gemma had gone on a walk and Ziggy was sleeping. So that left Flynn. He sat on the hood of his Hummer, staring at Scott's car and thinking about what had happened. How had they lost their leader? How were they supposed to go on without him? Who would wield the Street Saber and drive the Eagle Zord?

"Flynn?" the voice behind him made the blue Ranger jump and nearly fall off of his car. He regained his balance and looked to see who was speaking.

Dr. K walked towards him, wearing her ever present white lab coat but now there was something new in her face. It was a sadness of some sort. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

"Just thinking, really. About what happened. We shouldn't have even been there, you know. That wasn't our battle; it was theirs. He shouldn't have died." Flynn clenched his fists as, to his amazement, Doc K clambered up on the hood beside him.

"And yet, he was there. Flynn, you were fighting alongside many of the most famous Rangers of all time. Ever since I started working on the Ranger program after Alphabet Soup, I have completed a database on some of the greatest Rangers. Leo Corbett destroyed Trakeena and saved an entire space colony. Wesley Collins gave up his life as a pampered rich kid to fight evil. Jason Scott was the first Red Ranger. Kendrix Morgan gave her life for a fellow Ranger. Casey Rhodes was the first true Tiger Master in ages. It was an honor for you, really."

Flynn looked at her incredulously. "An honor? Doc, Scott is dead! How is that an honor?"

Doctor K fixed Flynn with an intense stare. "Because you were able to fight with them before the great battle that will claim their lives."

Before Flynn could respond, a sharp scream was heard from the direction of the bunkroom. Flynn leapt off the hood of his Hummer and dashed up the stairs, Dr. K right behind him. He reached the top and turned left, knowing instinctively that it had been Ziggy who had shouted. He morphed as he ran down the hallway.

"RPM, get in gear!" he shouted.

Upon reaching the room, he burst inside to see Ziggy backed against a wall, five hooded figures surrounding him. Then, before Flynn had time to blink, Ziggy disappeared.

"No!!" Flynn shouted, brandishing his Nitro Sword. He jumped forward and slashed in at the hooded person on the far left. The figure made no response.

"He is not to be taken. He must be there at the end. He will be destroyed personally." The person in the middle said sternly. His voice was rather mechanical, Flynn noted absently.

In the blink of an eye, the five cloaked people disappeared. The last thing Flynn saw was a flash of red. He turned to look at Doctor K.

"What's going on? Who were those people?" he asked harshly. Doctor K simply shook her head wordlessly. A sudden thought occurred to Flynn and he pushed past her, running down to the opposite end of the hall, to Summer's room, where she and Dillon had been talking. Neither one was there. Flynn caught sight of something in the middle of the room. He walked closer and leaned down, picking up the watch Dillon always carried with him. Also on the floor was a broken chain. On it dangled a small key.

"They're gone too," Flynn said softly.

"But gone where?" Doctor K asked as she came up behind him. Her voice sounded so scared that Flynn turned and hugged her. He felt tears coming to his eyes but refused to let them spill over, refused to show outward signs of weakness.

"I don't know. Maybe…maybe it has something to do with when we were in the past? What if it's some kind of rubber band effect? We're being snapped back to the past because that's where we should be? What if we're supposed to fight in this great war you mentioned?" Flynn's voice grew excited as he thought about it. "Yeah! That could be it! Maybe our presence back there will turn the tide of battle and the Rangers won't die."

Doctor K shook her head. "They die, Flynn. All of them. Blake and Hunter Bradley. Trent Fernandez. Carter Grayson. All of them will die and your presence wouldn't change that. Besides, if you are the only one left, we need you to defend Corinth City."

Flynn walked towards the stairs, his head low. "I don't know, Doc; something tells me I need to get back there. I think the answers lie in the past. And if nothing else, I'll just come back--"

"But what if you can't?" Doctor K interrupted him. "What if you're stuck and you can't come back?"

Flynn just looked at her. "Send me back." He repeated.

She stared at him, unblinking. "No. What if Corinth City is attacked while you're gone? What if we need you? You're the only one left, Flynn!!"

"What if they need me back there?" Flynn countered. "Not just Ziggy and Dillon, Doc, but the other Rangers, Carter and Zhane and Xander. I have to go, Doc. You just have to trust me." Flynn strode over to the Doctor's computer and looked at her expectantly.

"Please, Flynn. No Ranger will survive this war. Please. Don't do this."

But Flynn just shook his head stubbornly. "Maybe my being there will change the course of history. Maybe they will survive. I have to try, Doctor K." He tried another tactic. "And what if Ziggy, Dillon, Summer and Gem and Gemma are in this great battle you're talking about? I have to find them. Come on, Doc. Send me back."

Doctor K tried her own ploy, one last desperate attempt to keep at least one of her Rangers safe. "I'm not sure I know how to get you back, Flynn. Alpha was a highly advanced machine and I'm not sure I can duplicate what he did to get you here. There may be no way to send you there."

Flynn placed his hands on her shoulders. "I watched what Alpha, Mr. Hartford and Captain Mitchell did to send us back here. I know you can program it so that it sends me on a return trajectory. Don't play games with me, Doc. I'm not as dumb as you think I am."

Sighing, Doctor K finally made her way to the computer and began punching buttons. "Stand over there," she pointed towards a spot about twenty feet away. Flynn complied. "I'm programming the return trajectory to add a variance of thirteen days. That will put you at the right time."

Flynn looked confused. "How do you know when I need to be?"

"Because I never thought it would affect the future." Dr. K whispered sadly, leaving Flynn even more confused. But before he could ask another question, he saw a bright flash of light and the room around him dissolved. Seconds later, he was standing on a busy street. He adjusted his jacket and felt his pants pocket to make sure his Rev morpher was still there. It was and his engine cell was still on its chain around his neck. He also still had Dillon's watch and key in his other pocket.

Flynn stood still for a moment, trying to get his bearings and see if he recognized anything but nothing looked familiar. This wasn't Corinth and it wasn't San Angeles. Finally, Flynn stopped a woman walking down the sidewalk.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Could you tell me where I am?"

* * *

Kira had looked everywhere. She had gone to Reefside High and walked through the deserted hallways, looking into each classroom. At the end of the Science hallway, she walked into her old AP Biology classroom and took a seat at her old desk. She dropped her head onto the desk and began to cry. As she sat there, a memory came floating up in her mind, a memory of a day shortly after they defeated Mesagog and before they graduated.

_Trent had been sitting next to her in class. He had leaned over to her and said, "Can you believe it, Kir?" _

_ She'd laughed. "Believe what? That we beat Mesagog or that we are actually graduating?"_

_ Trent had laughed too. "Both. What I really can't believe is that __Connor__ is graduating."_

_ A loud voice protested from behind them. "Hey! That's not cool at all." Connor and Ethan had been sitting behind them, Kira remembered._

_ Kira grinned. "You know what, guys? One day I'm gonna be a famous singer, Trent's cartoons will be in comic books around the world, Connor will be playing in the World Cup and Ethan will have designed the next Halo. And we'll get together and remember the good times, the days when we fought together and won together."_

The memory faded and Kira's tears flowed faster. After they had graduated, they'd all gone their own ways. Trent to art school, Connor to play college soccer and Ethan had gone to Yale. But then, Trent had come back for her and hadn't left her since then. Now he was gone. She didn't look up until she heard footsteps approaching. At first, she didn't let herself believe that someone was coming towards her but then hope blossomed in her chest and she jerked her head up, praying she would see Trent.

It was Elsa. Elsa shut the door softly behind her and walked over to Kira. Without speaking for a moment, Elsa set her hand on Kira's shoulder. They stood there, quietly, neither one speaking until finally, Elsa made the first move.

"What's wrong, Kira?" she asked.

"We said we'd get together to remember the good times, the times we fought and won. Then we went our separate ways for a while. And when we were all finally back here, together, in Reefside, it was only for a week before we had to rush off to help Lily find Casey and those guys. Then the Overlord captured me and the other girl Rangers. Now Trent's vanished and I can't find him. I can't find him anywhere. I've looked everywhere I can think of. This was the last place where I thought he might be but he's not here either."

Elsa sat down in Trent's old desk. "I can't begin to imagine how you must feel, Kira, but surely he's somewhere. I mean, they have to be holding them somewhere, right? There's got to be a place you haven't looked yet. Maybe a place you went to lately?"

Kira thought for a moment. Then her face lit up, hope pouring through her expression. "JKP!! The pizza parlor! We went there a few times this past week to see Casey, Lily and Dominic. Maybe he went there."

She jumped up and ran from the room before Elsa could say anything. As Elsa watched Kira leave, she whispered, "I hope you find him, Kira."

* * *

Kira's bike raced down the streets towards Jungle Karma Pizza. Her hair flew in the wind and hopeful anticipation was on her face. She knew Trent was going to be at the pizza parlor, she just knew it. He had a weakness for the Tiger Pizza they served there so of course that's where he would have gone.

Her morpher started to beep and she raised it to her mouth. "Kira." She answered, her words sounding to her as if they were lost in the wind.

"Kira, get back to the lab now!" Connor started but Kira cut him off.

"No, Connor! I haven't found Trent yet!" And before Connor could reply, Kira ended the transmission and bent low over her handlebars.

Five minutes later, she pulled up in front of the pizza parlor. As she parked her bike, she allowed a small smile to cross her face. Then she pushed the door open and went in. The first thing she noticed was that it was dark. All the chairs were on the table and no one stood behind the register.

"Hello?" Kira called. "Fran? Trent? Trent, are you here? Lily?" No one answered her. "Trent?" she yelled louder. "Trent, this isn't funny!! I know you're here!"

There was still no answer and Kira started to cry softly, laying her hand over her stomach. She had been so sure he would be here, so sure that this was where he would be. Now doubt began to creep in and she began to wonder if Trent could be found at all or if he was gone, being held somewhere. What if she never found him? Or worse, what if all she ever found was his body?

Kira walked over to the register and ran her hand over the menu lying on the counter. She picked it up and stared at it, running her fingers over the images emblazoned under the name Jungle Karma Pizza. The Tiger—lost. The Wolf—killed. The Cheetah—vanished. The Jaguar—dead. The Rhino—alive. One left. That was it; just one.

"Where is everyone? Where has everyone gone?" she whispered, her gaze trained on the dark eyes of the tiger.

The sound of the door opening startled her and she spun around, the menu still in her hands. A figure stood in the doorway and all she could make out about him was that he wore a blue shirt under a dark jacket.

The person took a step inside the restaurant and the door closed behind him. Kira pressed her back against the counter and let her hand drift towards her morpher.

The guy spoke, his voice instantly familiar to Kira. "Kira? What's going on?"

Kira dropped the menu on the floor in surprise. "Flynn? What—how—why—I thought we sent you back to the future?"

Flynn crossed the room in four steps and pulled Kira into a hug. "Kira. How are you? I'm glad you're still here. I was afraid I wouldn't find anyone."

Kira wrapped her arms around the Scottish mechanic and laid her head on his shoulder. "Flynn," she repeated. "Everyone's gone, Flynn. Trent, Blake, Ethan, Dr. Oliver…everyone. I've been looking for Trent all morning but I can't find him. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever find him."

Flynn patted her on the back and said softly, "I know. Dillon and Summer, Gem and Gemma and Ziggy all disappeared." He reached in his pocket and pulled out Dillon's watch. "This is all that was left. Listen, I need to talk to whoever's in charge now. I have some more information, information that may or may not prove useful."

Kira picked up the menu and set it on the counter. "That would be Connor. He's at the lab. I'll take you there. Come on."

* * *

Tori stood on the beach, staring out at the water. Her tears flowed down her face and soaked the collar of her shirt but she didn't care. Blake was gone. And along, with him, their hopes for the future. She paused and, after a moment, allowed a small smile to grace her lips. _Well, not all hopes for the future._ An image floated to the top of her brain, a picture of a small, brown-haired, blue-eyed little baby boy.

Slowly, she sank to her knees in the billowing sand. She reached down and gathered up two handfuls of the grainy sand. Tori looked out at the crashing waves and a sad smile graced her lips.

"Good-bye, Blake." She whispered. Then she flung her hands up in the air, releasing the sand to be carried away by the wind.

Standing to her feet, she turned and headed towards her van, intending to call Kira and meet up with her somewhere, see if she'd found Trent or anything. Then she would call Sensei and check on Andrew.

She was almost at her van when she heard the footsteps behind her. Instinctively, she increased her speed and glanced behind her. A cloaked person walked behind her and Tori knew this was it. Their enemy was coming for her and she didn't intend to get caught.

Breaking into a run, Tori was at her van in a few seconds. She unlocked the door and jumped into the driver's seat. Jamming her keys into the ignition, Tori reached out for the door handle. But before she could grab it, her opponent reached her car and grabbed her wrist. Tori cried out and tried to wrench her arm away. It was no use. Quickly, he pulled her morpher from her wrist. _That's it,_ Tori thought. _Time to get angry._ The figure's other hand was reaching towards Tori now.

"Not a chance," Tori hissed and kicked her assailant in the gut. With her other foot, she shoved the gas pedal down. The van lurched into motion and Tori's enemy was left behind.

Tori glanced in the rearview mirror and watched the person get to its feet. And she watched as it turned to face her, its hood down around its shoulders. The face was one she'd never seen before but she stored it away in her memory, intent on asking the other surviving Rangers if they knew who it was. Another glance in the mirror showed the creature was starting to run after her.

"Crap," Tori muttered, knowing that her van wouldn't outrun the pursuer for long and that it left too clear a trail behind her. She was going to have to ditch it.

Abruptly, she spun the wheel to the right and drove into the trees that grew just off the beach. Seconds later, she dove from the van, rolling through the underbrush. Coming to her feet, Tori ran off towards the Ninja School, knowing that without her van and without her morpher, she'd never make it to Reefside before he caught her. Her only hope was to make it to the school. At least there she could call for backup if the guy managed to follow her there. Without her morpher, she couldn't call Hunter or anyone. So she ran, praying that he wouldn't catch up with her before she made it.

* * *

Leo was biding his time. One of the five had left but four still remained. They were maintaining position a few feet away but every time Leo tried to make a move, their postures shifted to keep them between him and the door. He knew he would have to make his move soon, before they figured out he wasn't Casey.

He took a subtle step to the side and the person on the far left mimicked him. "Make me do it, Casey Rhodes, Red Tiger Ranger. Make me kill you," the figure said.

Leo grinned. _It's time._ He raised his head and fixed his opponent with a stare. "I'm not Casey Rhodes."

Then he shouted as loud as he could, "Go, Galactic!" and morphed. He stood there, in all his glory, waiting to attack, waiting to see if anything would come from these four who stood opposite him.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then one of them stepped forward. "You were not supposed to die, Leo Corbett, Red Galaxy Ranger. But now you have pushed your luck. And now you will die."

"Oh, yeah?" Leo taunted. "If I'm going to die, at least let me see who is going to kill me."

"I think you already know." In unison, the other three stepped up next to the first. Then, at the same time, they lowered their hoods.

Leo gasped.

**Author's Note: Review please!!! It seems like no one's reading this cause there aren't many reviews! I understand time constraints though, so don't worry if you don't have time, I just like knowing people are reading. Hopefully, you've figured out the identities of the five figures by now, I know at least one person has. And hopefully, you'll still be surprised by some of the twists coming. Thanks for reading and please review!!!**


	7. Aid

Kira and Flynn talked quietly as they walked. They had decided to take a shortcut and now they were in a dark alley between a Japanese restaurant and a tobacco shop. Frankly, the darkness of the place gave Kira the willies. She walked a little bit closer to Flynn. The Scot looked down at her and winked.

"So how are you really?" Flynn asked seriously. He draped his arm over Kira's shoulder and pulled her against his side.

Kira sighed. She thought about letting Flynn in on her secret and then decided not to, to just avoid the topic all together. "Not so good. How are we supposed to fight against people who can just simply do some kind of magic and make us disappear? We're a team of like twelve now against an unknown. How are we supposed to win? How do we survive?"

Flynn didn't say anything for a moment. Kira looked up and was surprised to see a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"What?" she asked, concerned. "You okay?"

He shook his head and tried to smile. "I'm fine. Let's just get to Connor. I have to tell all of you at once."

Kira shrugged and let the matter drop.

* * *

Leo didn't move. He just stared into a face he'd hoped never to see again.

"Hello Red Ranger. Long time no see." Psycho Red's voice sounded gleeful.

"Psycho Red. Can't say it's a pleasure." Leo shifted his weight from his left foot to his right and rested his hand on his Quasar Saber. "We beat you once, we can beat you again, no problem. You've picked the wrong people to mess with."

Psycho Yellow laughed. "Not this time, Ranger. This time, we have more power."

Psycho Pink was there too and Leo felt a pang as he remembered the last time he'd seen the evil creature, the time when he'd thought Kendrix was gone forever…and now she really was. "This time," Pink sounded excited, "we fight with all the powers of your vanished comrades."

Then, as Leo watched in shock, Psycho Red seemed to morph before his eyes. Seconds later, Leo faced not four Psycho Rangers but Carter Grayson, Lily Chilman, Kendrix Morgan and Carlos. Just as quickly, he was facing off with Shane Clarke, Summer Landsdown, Cassie Chan and Danny Delgado. And then the Psychos were changing forms so fast, they were no more than a blur. Leo caught a glimpse of Adam Park and Taylor Earheart.

"Now we will kill you." Psycho Red as Rocky DeSantos grinned. The four advanced and Leo drew his Quasar Saber.

All of a sudden, Psycho Yellow stopped. She cocked her head to the side and then laughed. Turning to the other Psychos, Yellow—who looked a lot like Ashley Hammond—said,

"He wants me to go after Kira Ford. Apparently, she was stupid enough to venture into a dark alley. It's time for her."

That was it. Leo attacked. "No!" he shouted as he charged forward. "No more!" He sprang at Psycho Red, his Quasar Saber slicing downward.

Psycho Red ducked easily out of the way and kicked out at Leo, hitting him in the back and sending him sprawling. Leo scrambled to his feet and looked for Yellow, intent on keeping the Psycho here and away from Kira. His gaze landed on Psycho Yellow, still looking like Ashley, at the door. Yelling, he launched himself at her and hit her with a flying tackle, driving her to the ground. He cocked his fist and drove it into Yellow's face. Before his punch reached its target, he felt himself being pulled off of her. Then, in rapid succession, three blows came in at his face, his chest and his gut. Leo doubled over involuntarily and felt a strong arm crash down across his back, sending him to his knees. He jerked his head up in time to see Psycho Yellow run out the door. Leo's whole body was in pain but he forced himself back to his feet.

_I have to get out of here, _Leo told himself. _They have to know it's the Psycho Rangers. I have to run._

Leo called on every last ounce of strength he had and charged at Psycho Red. He feinted left then drove right, hoping to make it to the door. He did make it past Psycho Red but Psycho Pink and Black stepped into his path. Black laughed.

"You're not going anywhere, Red Ranger," Black jumped at Leo, fists flying. Leo dodged the attack and turned to face Pink and Red, resigned to having to fight.

"Quasar Launcher!" Leo cried and the big gun materialized in his hands. Leo aimed at Red and fired off three quick shots. Two of his blasts flashed by harmlessly but the third struck Red in the leg. Psycho Red yelled and dropped to one knee. But that was only momentary relief as Black and Pink charged from opposite directions. Leo gripped his Quasar Launcher in one hand, his Saber in the other and waited for his end.

He ducked under Black's—now appearing as Ziggy Grover—slash with a giant green axe and swung his Saber behind him. Black jumped easily out of the way. Pink—now posing as Katherine Hillard—landed a punch on Leo's faceplate, cracking the visor and exposing Leo's right eye. Leo's head was spinning and he stumbled.

Suddenly, a new voice entered the room, a voice that was vaguely familiar to Leo. "Leo!" it called. "This way!"

Leo spun to see a figure wearing a silver biosuit running towards him from the direction of the door Leo had been trying to get to. The person spun a stick of some sort in his hand and Leo watched as the newcomer launched a spinning roundhouse kick into Psycho Black's back. Then the man slashed with his stick and scored a direct hit across Psycho Pink's stomach.

The figure faced all three Psycho Rangers and drew his stick in a line in front of him. "Laser pool!" the person shouted. He placed three round objects in front of him. "Rack 'em up." Then he aimed his stick like a pool cue, yelled, "Lunar break!" and shot all three objects towards the Psychos.

The three Psychos each took a hit and were dropped to the ground but Leo knew they weren't out of this yet. Finally, Leo's rescuer turned and Leo saw clearly who it was.

Merrick held his Lunar Cue against his shoulder and clutched his three Wild Zord Crystals in his other hand. He ran over to Leo. "You have to get out of here. Now."

Leo nodded. "Let's go."

But Merrick shook his head. "No. I'll hold them off. You go."

Leo stared at him. "What? No, we can get out of here together! But we have to hurry. They're-"

Merrick pressed a button on his helmet and his visor slid up revealing his face. "Leo," he interrupted, smiling sadly. "Those they vanished are dead. Taylor and Danny; my whole team is gone. I will assure your escape. Tell the other survivors to fight. This is the final battle. And here," Merrick dropped his Crystals into Leo's hand and closed his fingers over them. "Take my Crystals. Let the Wolf, Alligator and Hammerhead help you if they can. If they can't, at least protect them."

Now the Pyschos were on their feet and rushing the two Rangers. Merrick turned and faced all three of them on his own, his Lunar Cue whistling through the air. Leo knew he had to do what Merrick asked and so he ran for the door, feeling guilty for leaving the brave warrior.

Merrick had one last gift for Leo. "My Savage Cycle is outside! Take it! And tell Shayla I love her and died so she might live!"

Leo didn't stop running. Even as he burst through the door, he heard the agonized scream of a Ranger who would soon be dead. Tears welled up in his eyes as he leaped onto Merrick's bike. He slammed the pedal down and roared off, hoping he'd soon figure out where he was and how to get back to the lab.

* * *

Tori knew she was about three minutes from the Wind Academy. And she also knew that her pursuer would catch up with her soon after that. Her lungs burned but she continued to push her body for all it could give. All she had to do was make it to Cam's computer and she could connect with the lab. Then she could get help. So she kept running.

As she ran, she thought about Blake. About how she wished Blake was still there, still around. And since he wasn't, that left just her and Andrew. She hoped it wouldn't soon be just Andrew. _At least, if I die, he'll still have Hunter._

_There,_ she thought happily, _there's the waterfall._ Tori pushed her body for more and managed one last burst of speed. Right before her body gave out, she entered the Ninja Base. Gasping for breath, nearby crying with relief, Tori rushed over to the computer and scanned the communication frequencies for Tommy's lab. She found it and slapped the "Open Link" button. Then came an agonizing wait of about ten seconds before Hunter answered.

Tori didn't even give him a chance to speak. "Help! Everyone's gone and they're coming!"

* * *

Hunter leaned towards the screen as if he could physically grab Tori and bring her to safety. "Who's after you? Tori, where are you?"

But her back was to the screen now and Hunter could hear her breathing, rapid and shallow. Hunter pounded his fist on the desk. "Tori!" he cried.

Jason laid a hand on his shoulder and pointed at the screen. "She's at the Wind Ninja Academy."

Hunter stood and ran for the door, nearly bowling Connor over in the process. Connor pressed his hand against Hunter's chest. "Hang on!" Connor exclaimed, obviously not having heard Tori's transmission. "What's going on? Where are you going?"

Hunter tried to push past him. "To help Tori!"

Connor let Hunter pass and then followed him. "We'll take Dr. O's Jeep. Come on."

The two Rangers left at a run. Jason watched them go, then looked at Xander. "Xander, go check on Casey. See how he's doing. He may need to be ready to fight sooner than we'd like." He turned to Zhane. "Zhane, you monitor the transmissions in case we hear anything from Leo. Kim and Billy, try to determine Kira's location. Once you find her, let me know. We need to get her back here before she gets attacked too." Xander left and Zhane sat down at the computer. Billy and Kim came to stand behind him.

Jason sat back and sighed. _What next?_ He prayed they wouldn't lose anyone else.

* * *

Flynn heard it first. The sound of someone approaching. He grabbed Kira's arm and pulled her behind a nearby Dumpster. They crouched there and listened hard. Soon they could hear the footsteps slow down and come to a stop just beyond their hiding spot. Then the pursuer spoke.

"Kira? Kira, are you here? Connor said I could find you here." Lily called. "Kira? We need you, Kira."

Kira looked at Flynn and whispered, "It's Lily! She's not gone, she's looking for me! Maybe Trent's not dead either!" And before Flynn, who had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, could stop her, Kira jumped to her feet and ran out from behind the Dumpster.

Sure enough, there stood the Cheetah Master in front of her, dressed in the garb of a Pai Zhuq master and with dirt covering nearly every inch of her body. She smiled as Kira stepped out from hiding. "Kira! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Lily!!" Kira exclaimed, stepping forward. "What happened? Where did you guys go? Is Trent with you?"

Lily shook her head. "No, he's not with me." Kira's smile faded and her head dropped a little. Lily continued, grinning. "But I can take you to him. I know right where he is, I was with him just a few minutes ago."

Kira stepped towards Lily. "Yes! Yes, take me to him, please. I need him."

Flynn watched, still unwilling to reveal himself in case this all went south and he was needed to defend both girls, as Lily reached out and took Kira's hand. Then, before he could move, Lily moved, faster than he'd ever seen the Jungle Ranger move before, to grab Kira in a head-lock.

"I'm afraid this is it," Lily sneered. "I'll be taking you to meet your dear Trent in death."

Kira screamed and Flynn reacted. He leapt from behind the Dumpster and hit Lily, throwing her away from Kira. Lily rolled across the ground and came to her feet, surprise in her expression and a glint of fear in her eyes.

"You—you're—how—what?" was apparently all she could manage as she stared at Flynn. "You're not supposed to be here!"

"Too bad for you, then, right?" Flynn responded. Kira moved to stand next to him and he looked down at her. "You ready?" She nodded and he slid his Engine Cell into his Rev Morpher. "RPM, Get in Gear!" he shouted.

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha!" Kira screamed right after him and seconds later the two stood clad in their biosuits, one yellow, one blue.

"Don't do this, Lily." Kira pleaded. "I don't know what's happened to you but you don't have to do this. Please."

"I'm not Lily," Lily said and attacked. Kira and Flynn flanked her and the battle soon rose in pitch and intensity.

* * *

Zhane turned to face Jason. "Kira's morphed! She's in Ocean Bluff. Her energy levels are fluctuating, I'd say she's in a battle."

Jason scowled. He turned to Rose. "Rose, you up to helping her out?" The young woman nodded slowly. Jason glanced at Dominic. "Go with her. Try to come back alive, please." Dom grinned and he and Rose dashed from the room.

"Good work, Zhane." Jason said. "Keep me posted. Have Hunter and Connor gotten there yet?"

Zhane shook his head. "I don't think so."

Just then, Wes' voice came from upstairs. "Someone's approaching on a bike! Jase, get up here!"

Jason jumped up and ran for the stairs, Ryan on his heels for extra backup. They took them two at a time and met Wes and Eric at the top. Both were morphed with weapons drawn.

"It's Morphin' Time! Tyrannosaurus!" Jason shouted. Ryan yelled, "Lightspeed Rescue!" and the two stood morphed as well. All four took up positions inside the door. Jason looked out at the billowing dust cloud approaching.

Wes squinted towards the bike. There was a sudden intake of breath and then he yanked open the door. "That's Merrick's bike!" he exclaimed. He ran out onto the porch, then stopped. "But that's not Merrick."

Sure enough, the person on the bike wasn't Merrick, that much was obvious even at this distance. His hair wasn't long enough and he didn't wear the silver biosuit that the Lunar Wolf Ranger was known for. Eric was the first to make the connection between what the guy was wearing and his identity.

"No, that's impossible. Guys, that's Leo!" Eric shouted, jumping off the porch. After a moment's hesitation, the other three joined him as the bike skidded to a stop in front of them. Its passenger nearly slid off and landed on his knees in the dirt.

"Leo?" Ryan asked. He stepped forward a step then stopped, as if unwilling to believe that Leo could indeed be alive. This was too good to be true.

The man kneeling in the dirt looked up and, sure enough, there was Leo Corbett's face staring up at them. He grinned slightly. "Hey, Ry. What's cracking?" Leo tried to get to his feet but fell back into the dirt, placing his hand to his side.

Jason jumped forward to help him to his feet. "Come on, we'll get you inside, get you cleaned up."

Leo gripped the collar of Jason's shirt. "Casey, is he okay? I led them away; did he make it here?"

"He's fine," Jason assured him. "Now we just need to worry about you."

But Leo interrupted him, still clutching Jason's shirt. "Kira, they're going after Kira, we have to get to Kira. They'll kill her. I swear, they'll kill her."

Ryan shook his head. "Dominic and Rose are on it. Don't worry. Right now, we need to get you to Hayley and you need to tell us what you know."

Jason started walking towards the door, Leo limping along beside him. Wes and Eric flanked them on either side and Ryan walked next to Leo on the opposite side from Jason. The five of them entered the house and headed straight for the den where Hayley, Casey and Xander were. Jason helped Leo sit down on a couch and then turned to Hayley.

"Hayley, Leo's hurt. Can you do something for him?"

At the mention of Leo's name, Casey looked up and broke into a wide grin. "Leo! You're okay! Man, you saved my life. Thanks."

Leo shrugged. "No biggie. I'm just glad you made it back here in one piece."

Eric held up a hand. "Okay, not to be rude, but yay, you both made it here alive, you're in one piece, now Leo, we need to know anything you might have learned. Everything you know. Anything at all."

But Leo had a question of his own first. "Where's Connor? And Tori, is she okay? I saw her ride off when I left earlier but I couldn't catch her. Is she back?"

Ryan shook his head. "Connor and Hunter went after her. Apparently she ran into some trouble; they went to help her out. Kira's fighting in an alley somewhere and Dominic and Rose went to her aid. Don't worry; we'll have them all back soon enough. Now, seriously, Leo. Anything you can tell us. Anything at all."

Leo nodded and sighed. "They caught me and vanished me. There were four of them. The Psycho Rangers. I knew them. I have fought them and I have beaten them twice. Once they claimed the life of my love, Kendrix. It was a miracle that she came back. But every time, we have beaten them. This time we might not be so lucky."

Wes interrupted. "Then how did you escape? If you say we might not be so lucky, how did you get away?"

"Merrick," Leo said sadly. "Merrick arrived and held them off while I escaped." He pulled out three objects from his pocket and showed everyone the three Wild Zord Crystals. "He died. If it weren't for his sacrifice, I wouldn't be here right now, I know that for a fact."

Eric swore loudly. "I can't believe it. Merrick is gone too? What about Taylor, about Jen? Did you see anyone who vanished?"

"Yeah," Leo scowled. "Yeah, I saw them. I saw Taylor. She's dead, Eric. They're all dead. Kendrix, Cassie, Carter, all of them. Dead."

Eric pounded his fist into the wall. "No! She can't be dead, she can't! How do you know? Maybe you were wrong, maybe it was a decoy?"

"No. The Psycho Rangers are channeling their spirits or something because _they are dead_, Eric!" Leo shouted, tears running down his own face. "You think I don't care that Kendrix is dead, that Kai is dead? I care! But I'm not going to put the rest of us in jeopardy by refusing to accept it and operating as if we can still rescue them! This is it, Eric. This is the final moment. We can either fight and win or we can fight and die." Leo grinned, paraphrasing Connor's words from their last battle. "We need to get everyone back here and go on the offensive. This is it. Here and now. It's time."

**Author's Note: Well, now you know. The Psychos are back. And this time they have special "powers" so to speak. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out the results of Kira's and Tori's battles…and whether or not Flynn being in the past will make a significant impact.**

**Please, please, please, read and review!!!! I love to get reviews!!! It lets me know that you like the story!!**

**Thanks goes out to Pinkranger888 for reviewing Ch.6 and I hope you now know who the killers are, Lina!! Thanks also to dare-deviless for reviewing Ch. 6 and I'm sorry I confuse you with the RPM stuff but you should really watch it, I think they're the best actually!**

**And, just for you, dare-deviless and anyone else who is lost, here is a list of the Rangers who are left and where they are at the end of this chapter.**

**Lab**

Wes, Eric, Casey, Xander, Leo, Ryan, Jason, Hayley—upstairs

Billy, Kim, Zhane—computer room

**Alley**

Kira

Flynn

**Ninja School**

Tori

**Headed to Ninja School**

Connor

Hunter

**Headed to Alley**

Dominic

Rose


	8. Fight Part 1

**Author's Note: Just a side note, this chapter and chapter 8 are occurring at basically the same time. Chapter 8 should be up this weekend sometime and you'll see what I mean. Enjoy! Read and review please!!**

Connor didn't know what to do or think. Someone or something was attacking his people and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. First Casey, then Leo and now Tori. Why did evil always come after them? Surely cops could handle some of this or firemen or the Marines! Why wasn't there some kind of army who could be created just to help the Rangers? They'd sure come in handy at a time like this. Connor shook his head and tried to focus. He glanced up at Hunter just in front of him on his Tsunami Cycle. "Hunter!" he yelled. The slight cock of the Crimson Ranger's head indicated that he'd heard Connor's yell so Connor continued. "How much further?" Hunter held up three fingers. Connor sighed. _Does that mean three minutes or three hours?_

It must have meant three minutes when Hunter slammed on his brakes two and a half minutes later. Connor followed suit and went to stand next to Hunter. He laid a hand on Hunter's shoulder.

"Do you have a plan?" Connor asked quietly.

"Yeah. Get her out." Hunter set off at a run towards the entrance to the Ninja Base. Connor swore. "Great plan, Hunter, real great." Then he ran after the blonde man.

Hunter burst into the Ninja Storm Command Center to find it empty. Connor came in beside him and looked around, his hand resting on his morpher. He looked around, his eyes gliding over the computer and the low table that rested in the middle of the room. But no Tori anywhere. He tapped Hunter on the back.

"I'm going to contact Jason and tell him she's not here. See if he can get a lock on her morpher or something. You look around, see if you can find her, maybe she's hiding." Hunter nodded and headed towards the stairs. Halfway there, his foot bumped into something and Hunter leaned down to pick up the socket wrench. He smiled and let the memory wash over him.

_Tori had been lounging in Ninja Ops with Cam and Blake. They'd been laughing over what had happened that day with Lothor's love spell when Hunter and Shane entered, bearing the plate of fried chicken._

_ "A peace offering," Shane said, gesturing broadly. "Since your cooking class kinda got messed up."_

_ Hunter had added, "Homemade and from the heart." _He grinned, remembering the look on Tori's face as she took in the plate.

_"Fried chicken? There's something wrong. This actually looks edible."_

_ He and Shane had laughed then before Dustin's voice came from the direction of the stairs. "Who ordered take-out? I'm starved!"_

_ Dustin had come up behind him and Shane, holding a take-out container in his hand. Tori grinned._

_ "Since when does homemade food come in a bucket?" she asked glibly._

_ Laughing too, Dustin waved his hand in the air. "Busted!" he cried._

_ They'd still eaten the chicken though and later, Tori and Hunter had had some time to talk, just sister/brother type talk, the kind they did all the time._

_ "You know Blake said, when he was standing in front of me, keeping those shots from hitting me, that his feelings were real? Do you know, Hunter? Are they real?" Tori was fiddling with the socket wrench set, turning the box over and over in her hands._

_ "I don't know." Hunter said honestly. "Give him time. He'll let you know if they're real or not. In the meantime, what are you going to do with those?"_

_ "I'm going to keep them. Who knows? Maybe we'll get married one day and they'll be something funny to remember."_

_ And the socket wrenches had had a habit of randomly turning up every now and then ever since._

A sudden movement caught Hunter's eye and he jerked out of his reverie. He whirled to see a mechanical-looking person standing at the entrance to Ops. His arm was around Tori's neck. Hunter dropped the socket wrench back to the ground, growled and took a step towards him. The enemy shook his blue head menacingly.

"Not so fast, Hunter Bradley, unless you want to lose her as well as your brother." It laughed and Tori started to cry, fear evident in her expression. Connor was on his feet now but watching warily, waiting for an opening. "First, let me introduce myself."

The figure's appearance blurred and then Hunter found himself staring at a familiar face. "I'm Ethan James, Tricera Ranger." He shifted again and now he was Kai. "I'm the blue Galaxy Ranger."

Hunter didn't have time for this nor did he care for the guy's tricks. "Just give me back my friend and I won't have to hurt you."

Psycho Blue—for that's who it was—laughed and pointed a wicked-looking gun at Hunter. Before Hunter had time to react, Psycho Blue pulled the trigger.

Hunter dove to the left but came up short when his head banged into something hard. He dropped to the ground and rubbed his head. Then he jerked his gaze back up to the Psycho Ranger, unwilling to let his attention slip for a second. Psycho Blue was laughing as his hand came up from around Tori's neck to stroke across her cheek. Tori flinched away but the hand followed her, the fingers tracing their way up to her hairline. Hunter snarled and lunged towards Psycho Blue.

He made it about one foot before he slammed into seemingly empty air. Hunter put up his hands in front of him. There seemed to be some kind of invisible wall there. He moved left and banged up against another wall. Beginning to panic, Hunter moved right. Another wall. He tried to go backwards but there was nowhere for him to go. He was trapped.

"Hunter!" Tori cried out before the wrist tightened across her neck and the word choked off. Hunter clenched his fists.

"Let me out of here!" he raged, angry tears spilling from his eyes. No way was he going to lose the only family he had left. Not if he could help it. "Let me out!"

Psycho Blue chuckled and shifted form again. This time, Hunter was facing his own brother. Blake Bradley looked at him and sneered. "I don't think so, brother. You are going to watch as I destroy your friends."

"No!" Hunter shouted. He banged his fists helplessly against the forcefield. Tori was sobbing now and Hunter had never seen her look so hopeless. Connor moved to stand in front of Hunter, facing off with Psycho Blue.

"I got this," he said reassuringly to Hunter. "Dino Thunder, power up, ha! Super Dino Mode!" Connor went straight to the big guns and drew his Tyranno Staff.

Tori screamed as Psycho Blue suddenly released Tori and shoved her towards Connor. Connor reached out and grabbed Tori's arm, pulling her behind him. Hunter could only watch as Psycho Blue leapt at Connor and Connor jumped at Psycho Blue, now posing again as Kai.

Tori turned just for a second and whispered, only for Hunter to hear, "Take care of Andrew." Then she turned back to face Connor and Psycho Blue.

The two met in midair, Psycho Blue slicing downward with Kai's Quasar Saber and Connor slashing upward with his Tyranno Staff. The two blades met with a clang and the combatants dropped to the ground. Connor danced in towards Blue and threw a punch at his gut. Psycho Blue ducked out of the way and turned to Tori. Tori backed away but didn't get far before her back was up against the forcefield holding Hunter in place.

Hunter almost didn't want to watch. He knew Connor could hold his own but Tori was mostly defenseless without her morpher. And he didn't know how much energy Connor could afford to divert to protecting Tori. Without Kira or Ethan, Connor couldn't go Triassic. That would hurt him. Connor and Psycho Blue were circling each other and Hunter watched as Tori slid left. She appeared to be looking for an opening, maybe to jump into the fight. Hunter had just a moment to wish that she'd stay out of it when she blurred into motion, racing forward to duck past Connor and snap a kick at Psycho Blue. Blue was ready though and snatched Tori's foot out of the air, flinging it upwards and sending Tori into a backflip. She crashed to the ground and Connor instinctively turned to make sure she was all right.

"No!" Hunter screamed as Psycho Blue took advantage of the situation. He flicked the fingers of his right hand and Blake's Thunder Staff appeared in his grip. Then he whirled into action. He swung Kai's Saber at Connor's back and drove him to his knees. Tori scrambled backwards but now Blue had Connor on the defensive. Connor turned and caught Blake's Staff between his hands. He yanked it out of Blue's hands but lost sight of the Quasar Saber, which came around and sliced across Connor's stomach.

Connor screamed, an unearthly, pain-filled scream. Hunter dropped to his knees and brought his morpher to his mouth. "If anyone can hear me, please answer. We need help at Ninja Ops."

*** Dino Thunder Lab ***

Billy was the one monitoring communications when Hunter's panic-filled request came over the broadband. He didn't bother to answer it, just looked at Kimberly and Zhane.

"I'll go tell them, stay here in case he sends another message." Billy said and Kim nodded. He jumped from his seat and ran up the stairs, praying that they wouldn't be too late to help Hunter, Connor and Tori.

No one was in the hallway and so Billy turned towards Tommy's den, sure everyone would be in there. He burst through the door to find Jason, Wes, Xander and Eric standing around the corners of the room while Hayley worked over Leo's injuries. Casey sat on a chair at the side of the room. Jason looked up at Billy when the blue Ranger ran in.

"What's wrong, Billy?" Jason asked, concerned.

"Hunter. They're in trouble at Ninja Ops. It sounded bad." Billy spread his hands; he didn't have any more information than that.

Wes looked at Jason. "I'll go." Eric nodded and added, "I'll go with him." With that, the two Rangers and best friends left the room at a run, headed for the garage and their bikes.

*** Ninja Ops ***

Hunter brought his tear-filled eyes back up to Connor who was battling valiantly. He swung his Tyranno Staff at Psycho Blue, who blocked it cleanly and struck back with a slash of his own. This strike caught Connor across the knees and they buckled, throwing the soccer player to the ground. Now Tori was on her feet and driving at Psycho Blue. She threw a punch and another before Psycho Blue slammed a roundhouse kick into her stomach.

Hunter distinctly heard several loud cracks and knew at once that multiple ribs were broken. Tori yelled and fell to the floor. Connor staggered to stand over her, to cover for her as she lay writhing on the ground but his worry earned him a double thrust of two sword tips in the chest even as he tried to dodge out of the way. His morphing suit flickered and died, leaving him in just a red shirt and an old pair of black soccer shorts. Bruises covered every inch of his body and blood was leaking from two points on his chest. But he still had a smile on his face as he raised his fists.

"You want her? You get me first." Connor taunted, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath.

Hunter backed up till his back hit the forcefield then ran forward and slammed into the field in front of him, hoping to crash through it. It didn't work.

Suddenly, his communicator beeped and Hunter shouted, "Hunter!!"

Eric's voice issued from the speaker. "Wes and I are en route, Hunter. Just hang on!"

Hunter closed his eyes briefly and then looked up at Connor. "Help's coming! Hang on, Connor!"

Connor nodded and Psycho Blue seemed to decide it was time to finish this. He lunged at Connor and pushed him backwards. Connor backpedaled, trying not to step on Tori and it was this momentary diversion of his attention that cost him his life.

He glanced down just slightly to check where Tori was and Psycho Blue took advantage of the lapse in concentration. He swung Blake's Thunder Staff in at Connor's left side and Connor twisted, letting the staff slide by harmlessly. It was the Quasar Saber that would kill him. Psycho Blue thrust the Saber forward and Connor screamed as the tip entered his chest, just above the heart. Connor fell limply to the ground, the Saber's hilt protruding from his chest and blood gushing from the hole. His fingers scrabbled helplessly on the floor and his body jerked spasmodically. His scream abruptly cut off as blood spouted in a fountain from his mouth. Then he went still, never to move again.

Hunter dropped to his knees in his prison. Tears spilled from his eyes and he knew that he was the only one who could do anything for Tori, anything at all. First Lily, then Blake and Connor and now he knew he was going to lose Tori too.

He made a decision. "Thunder storm, Ranger form, ha!" he shouted and withdrew his Crimson Blaster. Tori was scooting away from Psycho Blue as fast as she could but there was nowhere to go. Hunter had to act fast.

Scowling, he pointed his blaster at the forcefield and fired, hoping to burn through. A sudden backwash of heat swept over him and he dropped the gun, his hands going reflexively to his face. The heat faded and he reached out to touch the field in front of him, still intact.

"Tori!" he cried, anguish in his tone. _I can't lose her too…I can't. How am I to go on? I can't lose her, I can't._

"Andrew!" Tori shouted. Hunter wasn't sure whether she was repeating her request for him to take care of her son, or if she was screaming her pain at knowing she would never see the boy again. _I will, Tori, I will. Please don't die, please don't die._

But all the wishful thinking in the world wouldn't help him or Tori. Psycho Blue stood over and said mockingly, "Don't you think it's appropriate that you're killed by your husband's weapon?" Then he stabbed downwards with the staff and killed Tori with one blow.

Hunter couldn't take it anymore. He slammed his fists into the invisible wall in front of him and shouted, "Kill me too! Why not make it a clean killing? No witnesses." He hoped Psycho Blue would kill him. He wanted nothing more than to die.

But Psycho Blue was backing towards the stairs. "Not quite yet, Hunter Bradley. You are still needed to play a part." He withdrew his blaster and shot another blast at Hunter before vanishing up the stairs. Hunter didn't even bother to dodge out of the way this time. He simply curled into a ball on the floor and cried.

It was to this scene that Wes and Eric arrived two minutes later. They ran in, Eric with his Quantum Defender, Wes with his V-Weapon. To them, it appeared there were three bodies on the floor. Wes scanned the room but could see no sign of an assailant. He jogged over to Connor and knelt down, feeling for a pulse. A moment later, he shot a pained look at Eric.

"He's dead," Wes said quietly. He reached over and pulled Kai's Quasar Saber from Connor's chest, then passed his hand over Connor's eyes, closing them.

Eric holstered his gun and crouched beside Tori. He, too, felt for a pulse but was also unsuccessful. He rocked back on his heels and glanced at Wes. "She's gone too. Man, Wes, how does this happen? How could we lose so many of them?"

Wes shook his head. "I don't know." He got to his feet and walked over to Hunter. He lowered himself to his knees and rested his hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Makes you wonder if we're going to make it, you know? What if we end up just like th-"

He broke off as Hunter moved beneath him. Wes leaned down and grabbed Hunter's shoulder. "Hunter! You okay, man?" Wes asked, glad that at least one of the victims wasn't dead.

With Wes' help, Hunter rolled to a sitting position. He demorphed swiftly and Wes and Eric followed his lead. Hunter buried his face in his hands and cried. The two Time Force Rangers let him cry for a few minutes before Wes asked cautiously,

"What happened, Hunter? Are you okay?"

Hunter nodded. His face was screwed up with pain and his voice was hoarse. "He jumped us. Connor and I thought no one was here. Then he came out with Tori. Trapped me in some kind of forcefield thing. So Connor fought him. Tori jumped into the fight but she just got hurt and then Connor was worrying about her and the creep. I tried to bust out but I couldn't get to them. He kicked Tori, broke some ribs and she was out of the fight. Connor, he looked down to make sure she was all right and that killed him. He took that Saber to the heart. And then Tori was next. There was nothing I could do, Wes. Nothing." Hunter's voice cracked on the last word and he fell silent.

Wes put his arm around Hunter's shoulder. "I know how you feel, man. Leo made it back an hour or so ago and told us that all the ones who were vanished are dead. And I guess I knew she wasn't coming back but to know that Jen was dead, that she was gone, that was tough. I love her, loved her so much and now I don't know how I'm going to go on. I just want to give up and die, ya know? But we can't because we have others who are counting on us. You know that."

Hunter nodded. Eric was keeping silent for the moment. "I asked him to kill me. I begged him to kill me. He already took the girl I love, or maybe loved. I never even got a chance to explore my feelings for Lily. And then they took my brother, my baby brother. I swore to protect him, to always be there for him and I wasn't even there when he was vanished. I couldn't save him just like I couldn't save Lily. And I couldn't save Tori. Man, Wes, what's going to happen to Andrew? I was here and couldn't do anything. Connor had to fight for me. I should have protected her and helped him. How am I going to tell Kira that one of her best friends is dead because I was trapped? Who will we look to for leadership now?"

Eric spoke up. "We all know what you feel, Hunter. All of us have lost someone now. Lovers, friends, teammates, we've all lost those we care about. But we've also gained a reason to fight. I know that I want to avenge Taylor and I bet you want to avenge Lily and Tori and Blake and Connor. I want to fight to keep Callie and Shay safe and Wes wants to protect Alex. We have to fight. For them. For us. And for the future."

Wes stood and pulled Hunter to his feet. "We need to get back to the lab, regroup and tell everyone about Connor and Tori. They'll want to know."

"But what about their bodies? We aren't just going to leave them here, right?" Hunter asked.

"For now. I'll get Hayley to come and get them or Billy or someone. But for now we just need to get back, figure out a plan. Don't worry; we won't leave them here for long."

The three Rangers headed out. Hunter cast one last look back at Connor and Tori's bodies before turning off the lights and sealing the door to Ninja Ops.

* * *

"Connor McKnight and Tori Hanson are dead. Hunter Bradley lives." Psycho Blue knelt in front of the dark figure, Silas off to his left.

"Good. Has Yellow completed her task yet?" the grating voice issued from the shadows.

"We have not heard from her. We expect her report within the next few minutes. It should not have taken much for her to defeat the Yellow Ranger, even if the Rhino Ranger and the Pink Overdrive Ranger had gotten there in time. Psycho Yellow should have been able to silence all three of them. There should not be a problem." Psycho Red knelt beside Psycho Blue, his head inclined towards the ground.

"And the Lunar Wolf Ranger? He is dead?"

Silas answered that one. "He is dead and his powers have been assimilated. We do not have access to his Wild Zord Crystals as we do the Soaring Eagle Ranger's and the Iron Bison's. Black has added his powers to the other ones he holds."

The dark voice chuckled and asked, "And the Pink Lightspeed Ranger? Has she been dealt with?"

Psycho Black spoke from his submissive position beside Psycho Red. "Psycho Pink is on her way there now. It took some time to locate her because she was not with the other Rangers; we finally found her wandering around a meadow not far from Mariner Bay. She will die shortly."

"Very well. Those who are supposed to be at the final battle are still alive?"

"Yes," Silas grinned. "They will be there. And then they will die."


	9. Fight Part 2

Rose had reluctantly called Mack's Hummer for herself and Dominic. She had hoped never to see the Hummer again, to never have to ride in it again. It was just too painful to let the memories of Mack invade her mind. And at a time like this, when she was undoubtedly headed into a battle, she needed to focus. She couldn't afford to think about Mack right now or how much she missed him.

Instead she focused on thoughts of Dominic. The Rhino Ranger was her anchor in all of this. Without Dominic, she imagined she'd give it up and walk away. She still wanted to, sort of. Still wanted to just give Mr. Hartford the morpher and disappear. Just vanish, like Chip and Casey, only leaving a note behind so no one would think she was dead. But then her thoughts would return to Dominic and she knew she couldn't leave. The two of them had to stick together and maybe they would survive this.

"Rosie! You know how to get there?" Dominic asked from the passenger seat. Rose let a small smile cross her face. Mack had always called her Rose but not Dominic. She'd been getting to know the Rhino Ranger lately, over the past week, and he was just a really big kid. He'd never really grown up. And he always, always, always called her Rosie. Never Rose. Just Rosie. Almost as if they were kids playing Power Rangers on the playground in San Angeles.

Dominic had offered to drive but Rose couldn't bear the thought of another guy in Mack's seat; not yet, anyway. So she'd driven but her driving skills weren't the best in the world. Perhaps that explained why Dominic had a death grip on the door's handle.

"Yeah. Stop worrying." Rose replied as she spun the car into a left turn, cutting across four lanes of traffic, narrowly avoiding a speeding Mustang. Dominic yelled and clutched the dashboard as the Hummer entered the side road. Rose glanced over at Dom. "Maybe you'd better go ahead and morph, just in case. Who knows what we're going to find?"

Dom nodded and pulled one hand off the door handle to press the activation button on his morpher. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" he cried and morphed. He turned towards Rose. "And I'm sure it won't hurt to be morphed when your horrible driving skills cause us to crash and burn, Rosie. Sure you don't want to morph too?"

Rose threw him a scathing glare. "Yeah, good plan. I'll just take both hands off the steering wheel and take the time to go through the motions; good thing this isn't a heavily traveled road."

Dominic yelped. "Bad idea, bad idea! You just drive. I'll fight when we get there."

_Yeah. Over my dead body will you fight alone,_ Rose vowed.

* * *

Kira danced backwards, away from Lily, or whoever was impersonating Lily, and twirled her Ptera Grips in her hands. Their enemy seemed to still be pretty off-put by the appearance of Flynn and Kira hoped that they wouldn't lose their advantage.

Flynn circled around behind Kira and whispered in her ear as he passed, "You then me, five seconds." Kira nodded.

Lily suddenly seemed to blur and Kira forgot Flynn's plan as she watched, unsure what was happening. Seconds later, she was facing a tall, willowy young woman wearing a black jacket like Flynn's over a yellow shirt. Her blonde hair was pulled up in a ponytail and a malevolent smile curved her lips.

"Summer?" Flynn whispered. Out of the corner of her eye, Kira saw his Turbo Cannon drop to his side. "What have you done with her?"

But the Summer look-alike didn't answer. Instead, she took advantage of Flynn's and Kira's moment of inattention and attacked. "Energy burst!" she cried and fired a ball of energy directly at the two Rangers.

Flynn was still slightly behind Kira at the time of impact so she caught most of the energy but the blast was still enough to send both of them flying. Kira crashed into a Dumpster and lay limp as the morphing grid struggled to keep her in her suit. But it proved to be too much damage as her suit overloaded and disappeared. Flynn slammed into the far wall and fell to the ground. He struggled to get to his feet but only made it to his knees.

Summer advanced towards Kira, Zip Charger in hand. "Even your friend from the future can't save you now." She taunted. Coming to a stop, she raised her weapon and pointed it at Kira's heart. Kira raised herself up on her elbows and choked out a laugh, determined to face her death defiantly. Impulsively, she placed her hands on her stomach, as if she could protect the life inside her with her hands.

"I really feel like I should give some kind of Marty McFly answer to that," Kira chuckled. She refused to show weakness even in this moment.

"Then prepare to die." Summer tightened her finger on the trigger and Kira had to resist the impulse to close her eyes.

Before Summer could fire, another sound filled the alley. The whine of an engine came closer and closer. Summer turned away from Kira and faced the new arrival.

Mack's Hummer zoomed into view and fishtailed to a stop. Dominic leapt out of the passenger side window and stood in front of the Hummer, feet planted and Rhino Blade raised. Rose ran around the front and stood next to Dominic, her Overdrive Tracker in her hand.

"Not so fast," Dom shouted. He did a double-take when he saw the supposed identity of the attacker but didn't let it faze him. "End of the line, pal. Thought you weren't going to let me fight alone, Rosie. You gonna morph?" This last question was asked as Dominic turned slightly to look at Rose, who nodded her head.

"Yep. Overdrive Accelerate!" Rose called and began to morph. Summer took advantage of Rose's half-morphed stage and rushed her, pulling her Nitro Sword and stabbing towards Rose's chest. Rose saw the blade coming and reacted, trying to finish her morph and twist out of the line of fire. At the last second, Summer changed her attack and sliced sideways, across Rose's side.

Then she turned back to Kira, obviously dismissing Dom and Rose as the most important people right then. Perhaps she assumed Kira was the weakest or perhaps she figured she would finish with Kira before taking on the other three. Whatever, it didn't matter. When she turned back to Kira, it was too late. Flynn stood over her, his Nitro Sword held diagonally across his chest. He dipped his head in Summer's direction.

"I don't know who you are but you're done here. This fight is no longer going your way, mate." Flynn said calmly. Kira was dragging herself to her knees behind him but it was obvious she wouldn't make it to her feet in time to fight. Dominic and Rose were closing in behind Summer and their enemy growled before beginning to shift forms rapidly.

Flynn watched as Chip stood in front of him, then Ashley and Taylor. Then she returned to Summer's form and dropped her Nitro Sword to the ground. Her form blurred again and Dustin was there, holding his Lion Hammer. He reached down and picked up the sword.

"It's not over yet." He snarled and struck.

His Lion Hammer met Flynn's upraised Nitro Sword with a resounding clang. Flynn lashed out with his foot, attempting to sweep Dustin off balance but his opponent jumped over his foot.

Dominic came in from the back with his sword whistling over his head, aiming for a strike that would split the fake Dustin head to toe. But it was if Dustin had some kind of sixth sense as, without turning, he brought his Nitro Sword up over his head to catch Dominic's strike. At the same time, he slammed his Lion Hammer into the ground, knocking Flynn off his feet. Dustin leapt forward to finish off the blue RPM ranger but then Rose was there, blocking and parrying his every attempt. Flynn pulled himself back to his feet and he, Dominic and Rose advanced on Dustin. Dustin backed away, scowling.

"This is not over. Your survival-" he pointed at Kira, who still knelt by the Dumpster, "-and your presence," he jabbed a finger at Flynn, "will not change anything. All of you will still be destroyed when my Master's time comes. Until we meet again."

Dominic lunged forward, thrusting his Rhino Blade in front of him. But by the time the tip reached the spot where Dustin had been, the impersonator was gone.

"Power down." Rose whispered. Her biosuit and Drive Geyser disappeared and she walked over to Kira. Flynn powered down as well and he and Rose helped Kira to her feet. Dominic just took off his helmet and approached Flynn, raking his fingers through his blonde hair.

"Flynn? What are you doing here, mate?" Dominic asked. Flynn noticed that the Rhino Ranger still held his Rhino Blade, ready if he needed it.

Flynn grinned. "Hold on there, Dominic. It is really me, I swear. We all made it back and then Dillon, Summer, Ziggy, Gem and Gemma all disappeared. So I got Doc K to send me back here because I had an idea that this was where I needed to be. I thought maybe this was where Dillon and the others had ended up. So I came here and found JKP, where Kira was. We were heading to the lab when we got jumped. Look, she said Connor's in charge? Dr. K told me something before I left that I think he will need to know. You all need to know."

Dominic looked at Rose, who nodded. He looked back to Flynn and smiled tightly. "Ok. Good. I'm sure we'll need you in the coming hours. All right, let's go."

Rose and Flynn helped Kira to Mack's Hummer while Dominic approached the vehicle with some trepidation. Once Kira was in the backseat, Rose turned to Dominic.

"What's wrong, Dom?" she asked, winking at him. "Scared to get back in the car?"

Dominic swallowed. "No, no, I'm not. Let's go."

Flynn climbed in beside Kira and buckled his harness. Dominic and Rose got in the front and Rose started the engine while Dominic secured his seatbelt and regained his death grip on the door handle.

"Everybody ready? Then hang on 'cause here we go!" Rose exclaimed as she hit the gas.

"Oh, goody." Dominic sighed.

* * *

Dana was finally ready to try and make her way back to Mariner Bay. She knew they had left the Rescue Rover in the parking lot near the overlook but she wasn't sure she remembered how to get there.

So she started walking in the direction she thought was right. She hadn't realized how far away from the Rescue Rover she had wandered until thirty minutes had gone by and she still hadn't reached the vehicle.

_Maybe I should just call someone. They can't all be gone,_ Dana thought. _I'll give it five more minutes before I call Ryan,_ she decided.

She walked on, along the tree line, lost in thought, speculating on what might have happened to Carter. That's when she heard it.

A light laugh echoed across the wide-open spaces. Dana whirled, part of her hoping it was Carter or Ryan and part of her knowing it was an attacker. Whoever had taken Carter was now coming for her too.

But there was no one around. Not behind her, not to the left or the right. She walked faster, then began to jog. _I have to get out of here. I have to escape_. Her pace grew faster and faster. The laugh came again.

"Who's there? Come out where I can see you!" Dana called, her fingers hovering over her morpher.

"Well, all right then." A voice said and someone stepped out from behind a tree. Dana squinted to better see who it was. The figure wore a pink t-shirt and blue jeans. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she held a sword at her side. "Excited to see me again, Dana? I've missed you."

Dana's jaw dropped. Involuntarily, she took a step towards the girl. "Kendrix? What happened to you? What's going on?"

Kendrix walked closer. "It's me. I don't know what happened. I was with Leo at the grocery store and next thing I knew, I was near the Rescue Rover. So I came to see if I could find whoever had driven it here. I was hoping you would know what was going on." By this time, Kendrix had reached Dana's side. Then, before Dana could defend herself, before she really had a chance to even know what was going on, Kendrix raised the Quasar Saber and stabbed the tip into Dana's chest, right where the Lightspeed Ranger's heart was.

Dana's knees gave out and she crumpled to the ground, dead before two more breaths escaped her body. The last thing she saw would be the face of who she thought was her friend.

But it wasn't Kendrix at all. Psycho Pink passed her hand over her face and was instantly back in her true form. She knelt down beside Dana's body and touched her hand to the dead Ranger's face. Waves of pink energy flowed into Psycho Pink. When the flow stopped, Psycho Pink stood and twirled on the spot, adapting Dana's form. Then she reached down, picked up Dana's morpher and opened a wide-band com channel.

"This is Dana! Please, I need help! Hurry!"

* * *

Ryan was monitoring the com channels when his sister's desperate plea came through the computer. He did a fast location search and found that Dana was about ten miles away. Once he had the location, he jumped from his chair and ran up the stairs.

"Leo! Leo!" he shouted.

The red Galaxy Ranger stuck his head out of the den. "What? What's going on?"

"Dana's activated her morpher's communications array. She needs help. I've locked onto her location. Let's go." Ryan ran for the door, Leo on his heels.

By the time Leo burst through the door, Ryan was already morphed and starting his bike. "Hang on a sec, Ryan!" Leo shouted. "Go, Galactic!" He activated his morphing sequence as he ran.

"What?" Ryan answered shortly. "We gotta go, Leo!"

"Look. There's more going on here than meets the eye. All I'm saying is you and I need to be ready for whatever might be coming our way. We need to focus."

"You focus. I'm getting my sister back." Ryan kicked the idling bike to life and sped off. Leo sighed before he called his own cycle and raced after Ryan.

_She's gotta be okay, she's gotta be okay,_ Ryan thought as the wind rushed past him. He leaned low over the handlebars and pushed the bike for all the speed it could give him. He had pinpointed Dana's exact location before leaving and knew they were only about three minutes away.

When the two finally arrived at Dana's location, they left their bikes at the edge of the woods and ran through the trees on foot, towards Dana.

Ryan was the first to break through the trees into the meadow. He glanced around, not seeing anything at first. Then his gaze landed on a prone figure in the grass and his heart skipped a beat before pounding into a faster, double-time rhythm.

"Dana!" he yelled, breaking into a mad dash across the field.

When he reached the figure, he felt tears spring to his eyes. There, in the grass before him, lay his little sister. She looked like she was just resting but Ryan knew in his heart that that was not the case. She was dead. He knew it and yet he didn't want to believe it.

Leo skidded to a stop beside him and gasped. "Ryan…" he whispered as the other young man slowly fell to his knees beside his sister.

"Who? Who would do this?" he asked.

"You know who, Ryan. The Psychos. But we're going to get them, I promise. We'll make them pay. I swear to you, Ryan. They. Will. Pay." Leo's voice was hard. "But now, we've got to get back to Connor and the others. We need to attack."

Ryan nodded and stood listlessly. Leo leaned down and gathered Dana into his arms. Then both young men turned and trudged towards the Rescue Rover. They were unaware that Dana wasn't the only casualty of that day. They only knew that the stakes had been raised and that neither of them would stop until the stakes had been satisfied.


	10. More

It was a very bedraggled group that stood in the command center of Tommy's underground lab. All of the Rangers who had been out were back and they were gathered to hear the stories of those who had fallen.

"It's time we took the fight to them." Hunter's voice was hard. Casey looked at him; his face was a stone mask. Hunter had disappeared after they returned to the lab. Only Xander had known where he had gone and the Green Mystic Force Ranger hadn't told. When Hunter had returned a few minutes ago, tears were in his eyes and there was a new hardness to his face.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Wes' voice was hesitant, as if he were afraid to cross Hunter, afraid of what might happen if he struck the hot metal rod Hunter had become, that so many of them had become. Afraid of changing it's shape. Wes hadn't returned with Eric and Hunter. He'd come in on his own half an hour ago, only saying that he'd had to take a package to an old friend. "They've already killed three of us. Well, four, counting Merrick. And before that they killed so many without even breaking a sweat. Maybe we should lie low, regroup, figure out a plan or something before we rush in willy-nilly."

The lines were being drawn, Casey noted absently. Those who favored all-out attack and those who were with Wes in wanting more information or more time before committing to an assault.

Zhane spoke up from his seat on the floor at the edge of the group. "I'm with Wes. We don't know just how strong their power is. What if vanishing isn't the worst they can do? And they're good fighters, I've heard Hunter's report and Flynn's. Kira's and Dom's and Rose's too. These guys are good. I don't think attacking them straight-on is the best idea. But we can't just sit back and do nothing either. I think we should attack them but only a few at a time or a little bit at a time. Kinda feel them out, see just how strong they are. You know?"

Xander shook his head. He stood next to Kira with his arm around her shoulders. She was the only one left from her team now. Now she had joined the ranks of the rest of the survivors. "Too risky. They very nearly got Kira, even with Flynn, Dom and Rose there. No, we either attack them with all we've got or we hole up somewhere and wait it out. Those are our options.

Now everyone was talking over each other, each one picking a side. And for the next few minutes, the arguments continued until, Casey noticed, there were three groups in the room, each group favoring a different position. Except for him and one other. Casey didn't look to see who his supporter was, instead he turned to face one of the groups.

Hunter, Ryan, Eric and Kira stood in a small circle, fierce looks upon each of their faces. Ryan returned Casey's stare with an angry look of his own. Casey spread his hands wide. "You guys want to take them head-on? Even though we know what they can do, knowing that now they have the powers of the Blue Wind Ninja, the Lunar Wolf Ranger, the Red Tyranno Ranger and the pink Lightspeed Ranger? That's an interesting point of view." Casey nodded thoughtfully and turned to look at the next group.

Wes, Xander, Rose and Kimberly were almost back to back in their circle. Each one had their arms crossed across their chests and looks of sheer determination on their faces. Casey made eye contact with each one. "And you guys think we can just hide out and they'll forget about us? Who knows how much they have stolen from our friends? What if they know where we are, how to get in and how to find us if we go somewhere else? No, staying here is not the right answer. But neither is an all out attack."

Lastly, Casey turned to face the final group. Jason, Billy, Dominic and Zhane had adopted almost too-casual poses. Each stood with their arms by their sides but Casey could see the tension in the way their muscles rippled and stretched taut. Casey nodded slowly. "Attacking in small groups. Yes, that could work. Perhaps hit and fade missions? Try and take one of them on at a time and always in places where we hold the advantage and where our numbers are greater. Yes, I suppose that could work. At least it is a better idea than the others."

It was then that the person next to Casey cleared his throat and Casey turned to face Flynn. The Scot's face was unreadable but Casey thought he saw a shadow of sadness or fear pass over it. When Flynn spoke, his words sounded as if they were being pulled from the very depths of his soul. "It doesn't matter what you choose."

Jason frowned and rubbed his right hand along his left arm. "Doesn't matter? What do you mean, doesn't matter? Of course it matters. Without a plan of action, or non-action, we will be hunted down and killed and we won't have any means of defense."

Flynn shook his head sadly and clasped his hands together behind his back. "It won't matter because none of you survive. You're all supposed to die in some great battle around this time and I'm not even supposed to be here. None of you will make it out of this alive. This I know because of information from the future."

His words were met with a grim silence, a silence that seemed to stretch on and on until Ryan broke it. "Well, to hell with that! So we're supposed to die, so what? My sister died. Her husband died. Their kid is an orphan now! Hell, if I'm going to die, I'm going to go out fighting. We should attack them right now. Before they get any more of us."

There were murmurs of agreement from everyone in his group and a few from the hit-and-run group. But Xander shook his head. "What if this information from the future changes things? Makes it so that we know what's going on and maybe it stops us from launching an offensive that we cannot win. Huh? Ever think of that?"

Voices were rising and falling in argument again now and Casey dropped his head into his hands. Flynn laid his hand on his shoulder. "All these what-ifs," the blue RPM ranger muttered, "perhaps I should not have told them. But I thought they needed to know. And with Connor gone, there isn't anyone to take over, to be in charge. You could do it, Casey. Unite them and maybe some of them can cheat death."

Casey opened his mouth but before he could say anything, a sound came from upstairs. A sound that was a lot like splintering and crashing wood. "Shhh!" Casey hissed, his voice frantic. "Someone's upstairs!"

Kira's eyes went wide. "Hayley!" she cried and bolted towards the door. Xander threw out an arm and grabbed her around the waist.

"Stop! We don't know who-" Xander started but a shrill scream cut him off and Kira thrashed wildly to get free, screaming for Hayley.

Flynn backed towards the door. "We gotta get out of here. They've gotta be up there, coming for us. Come on."

"No! I won't leave Hayley!" Xander was dragging Kira towards the exit. She was fighting teeth-and-nail to get free but his arms were vices around her waist, pulling her inexorably towards the door.

Leo looked at Casey. "I'll see if I can buy you guys some time to get away."

Casey shook his head vehemnantly. "No! There's no way you can hold all of them or any of them for that matter! We all fall back."

Wes stepped up beside Leo, a determined look on his face. "Someone has to, Casey. If we don't stand against them now, no one will survive to stand against them later. They must be defeated. If they aren't, then there will be no more Power Rangers to protect the Earth. You know that." He cast a quick glance around him. Most of the other Rangers were gone, out the back door. Eric and Jason still stood just inside the lab, waiting to see the decision that would be made. Wes returned his gaze to Casey. "Besides, two in the stairway…that ought to hold them for a while. Long enough for you guys to get away, I bet."

Casey knew there was no talking them out of it. They were Rangers and they would do their duty. "Well, I'm standing with you."

Leo nodded sharply. "Even with no morpher?" Casey nodded and Leo looked to Jason. "You're in charge now, Jase. Finish well."

Upon hearing that, Jason dipped his head and ducked out the door. Eric didn't move. Wes stared at him. "Eric, you have to go. They're going to need you, in the end. You can save many lives by letting us fight here. Please."

Eric looked torn. He hesitated for one second before following Jason out of the room. Just as his sneaker disappeared from sight, there was a crashing sound and Casey looked at the others.

"Well? Are we doing this?" Casey asked.

Wes dipped his head in agreement. "We have to hold them off. Give the others time to escape." He raised his Chronomorpher.

Leo broke into a run across the room towards the stairs, morphing as he ran. "Go, Galactic!"

Wes was hot on his heels, going through the motions of his morph. "Time for, Time force!" He pulled his Chronosabers out and uncoupled them, making two swords, one of which he tossed to Casey who was basically defenseless.

Then they were in the stairs and facing not just one but three of the Psycho Rangers. Psycho Red led the way, with Blue and Yellow right behind him. They stopped just inside the doorway at the top of the stairs.

"Going somewhere?" Casey taunted.

"You!" Psycho Red jabbed a finger at the red Jungle ranger. "You escaped me once. You will not do so again."

"Oh, yeah? Think again." Casey leapt, throwing himself at Psycho Red, stabbing and slicing with Wes' sword. Wes joined him in the battle and Leo covered their backs; the stairs weren't wide enough for more than two to stand abreast.

Casey took a slash across his thigh and dropped to one knee, pain lancing up his leg. He gave way and Leo took up his battle, engaging Psycho Red as Wes launched attack after attack against Psycho Yellow. Psycho Blue hung back, unable to get space to fight in the stairway.

But slowly, inexorably, the Rangers were pushed back. A devastating thrust caught Wes in the side and he fell back. Leo was hit with a one-two combo that sent him sprawling at the bottom of the stairs.

"We gotta get them more time!" Leo hissed. He lurched back to his feet and held his Quasar Saber in a low guard, ready to attack.

"My turn." Casey said and stepped up to face all three of the Psychos. He raised his hands in front of him. "I call on the Spirit of the Tiger!" he shouted and a giant red tiger burst into the air in front of him, teeth ripping at the Psycho Rangers. Leo glided up beside it and whirled into motion, attacking with all the force he had.

Wes called on his Battlizer and rushed to the aid of the Tiger and Leo. The fight wore on as Casey fed more and more of his energy into his spirit Tiger.

Leo let his attention slip for just a second, tried to take just a second to catch his breath and wound up with a Thunder Staff in his side, the end of it wagging five feet off the ground. He screamed as his morphing suit vanished. Still screaming, he fell to his knees.

Casey tried to order his Tiger Spirit to cover Leo but his energy was all gone. With a pitiful growl, the Tiger faded away and it was all Casey could do to keep his feet. Wes was fighting alone now and Casey stumbled forward, still clenching the Chronosaber to help.

But Wes pushed him back. "Get Leo and get out of here! They're going to need all-" he blocked a diagonal slash from Psycho Blue and Casey could see how tired he was in the sluggish moves he made. "-the help they can get! Go, get out of here! I'll do what I can to hold them longer!"

Casey nodded. He knew he wouldn't be of any help and would likely be more of a hindrance to Wes right then. He turned to Leo but the red Galaxy Ranger was already climbing to his feet. He'd pulled the Staff from his side and still held his Quasar Saber.

"I'm seeing this through. For Jake. And for Jess." He panted and joined Wes' fight. "Get out of here, Casey!"

There was nothing more he could do. Casey Rhodes turned and ran, following the path the other Rangers had taken when they left.

He heard the screams of the dying Rangers behind him and ran faster, knowing there was nothing he could do and hating himself for it.

**Author's Note: Probably a shorter chapter but I just wanted to get something out there. Plus I think I only had like one review for the last chapter so I don't think many people are reading anyway. Please read and review and let me know you're reading if you are! The climax is coming and I'm hoping to make the updating a little more regular…thanks!**


	11. Hope

Kira ran at Xander's side now, no longer trying to turn back. She knew that Hayley was beyond their help now just as Tommy was and Ethan and Connor and Trent. And they were now the last hope for humanity, the Rangers running from the battle.

"Where are we going?" she shouted. Xander shrugged.

"No idea!" he called back. "Wherever Rose and Dominic end up, I guess!" The Jungle Fury ranger and the Overdrive Ranger were in the lead and it was a surprise to Kira when they stopped running not three minutes later.

"Why…are…we…stopping?" Zhane asked, doubled over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Sorry. Not as in shape as I used to be."

"We need to decide where we're going. If they found us at Tommy's lab, it's safe to say they know where all of our hideouts are. I think it's safe, also, to say that they have assimilated the knowledge of the vanished Rangers – no one knew where the lab was except for us Dino Rangers and the Ninja Rangers. You agree?" Dominic was standing more or less at the head of the group, his hard stare seeming to compel agreement from everyone.

"So if they've assimilated knowledge, then it stands to reason that the only places they won't know about are the ones where no one was vanished from that team. Anyone here not have anyone vanished from your team?" Hunter paused. "We lost Trent and Blake to the vanishings. So Ninja Ops is out."

Xander shook his head. "We lost Chip and Vida. Rootcore's no good."

Dominic agreed. "Lily was vanished. JKP won't be safe."

Billy and Kimberly looked to Jason, who hesitated before he spoke. "Angel Grove's too far out to be any good. Besides, Rocky, Adam, Tommy and Kat were all vanished. We can't go to anywhere that we used or that was used by the Zeo Rangers or the Turbo Rangers. They're all compromised."

Zhane nodded agreement. "Even if we could get to the NASADA spaceport and onto the Megaship, Andros, Carlos, Ashley and Cassie were all vanished. We're out."

Ryan shook his head as well. "Aquabase is out since they vanished Carter."

Eric's voice was heated . "And since the Clock Tower was destroyed long ago, it seems like there's nowhere we can go! But we have to go somewhere, or Wes' sacrifice and Leo and Casey's will have been for nothing! Come on!"

A quiet voice spoke up then. "Mr. Hartford's manor won't be compromised. All my teammates were killed outright. We can go there. Only…" her voice trailed off and Dominic put his arm around her.

"Only what, Rosie?" he asked softly. Eric made a noise of impatience but Dominic's fierce look silenced him.

"They vanished Adam and he was one of the five who came back to use the mansion as a base when we lost our powers. They'll be able to find it." Rose's voice was forlorn.

"It's as good a start as we've got. Come on, let's go." Flynn looked to each Ranger in turn. "But I think it's time we called some speed. Let's get where we've got to go as fast as humanly possible."

Hunter nodded. A few seconds later, the whole group was on bikes or in cars or Jeeps and headed for the center of San Angeles. When they pulled up in the driveway, Rose walked hesitantly towards the doors.

"I told myself I'd never come here again," she whispered. Dominic's arm returned to her shoulders and he gave her a squeeze. She squared her shoulders and continued. When they reached the front porch, she pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Then she led the way inside.

The other Rangers followed her to the library, where she took a seat in a stuffed armchair. Everyone else either sat or stood and looked at each other anxiously.

"Well, what now? They've gotten three more of us. Are we just going to let them keep killing us or vanishing us or whatever it is they're doing to us or are we going to fight?" Hunter slammed his fist into the side of a bookshelf and glowered at anyone who dared to make eye contact with him.

A voice suddenly came from the doorway and everyone's heads whipped towards the sound. "Miss Rose? Is that you?"

Rose's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Spencer? Spencer, what are you doing here?"

The butler made his way slowly into the room, taking in the faces of Rangers he knew and Rangers he didn't. "Kira, good to see you again. And Xander. Very nice to see you. Why, I've come to help you, Miss Rose. I heard about all the trouble you were having and thought you might could use someone to bounce ideas off of or something."

Rose looked thoroughly confused. "But, Spencer, I thought you went into seclusion with Mr. Hartford, to help him recover from losing Mack. And I thought you couldn't stand to be in this mansion anymore, just like I couldn't either. What's going on?"

Spencer smiled then, but it was a smile full of sadness and grief. "Mr. Hartford is still very much in seclusion. But he is in fact the one who sent me here. It would appear that he had planned for something like this and built a device that would counteract the use of a Ranger's powers against his or her will. Sort of a blocking device, I suppose."

Zhane caught his breath. "So you mean that we can keep these Psycho Rangers from using the dead Ranger's powers? Their weapons and their fighting techniques? Seriously?" There were murmurs all around the room as the other Rangers realized what this could mean.

"Not only that, my boy. This device, when activated, will render the villain who tries to use a Ranger's weapons or powers immobilized for ten seconds, which should be long enough for you to capture said villain or defeat him or her. Or it."

Rose jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Spencer's neck. "Oh, Spencer, you're amazing!"

The butler disentangled himself and looked around the room once more. "But there are so few of you left. And this device, it will only work once. It may not be much of a help after all. How can you hope to survive?" He wasn't being pessimistic, simply realistic. After all, he enjoyed playing the part of devil's advocate sometimes, in order to help the whole picture be seen.

Eric slapped his hand against his leg. "We'll survive. We have to. Will your device work on just one villain at a time or multiples?"

"As many as are using a stolen Ranger power or weapon at that time. And don't ask how it knows the person using the weapons isn't a Power Ranger – I don't begin to understand." Spencer laughed bitterly. "I only hope this helps." And he pulled a long red gun from his pocket and handed it to Jason. "Something tells me you are in charge, Mr. Scott."

Jason turned the gun over and over in his hand. "I never asked to be in charge again." He whispered.

"Some things aren't asked for; they're just given to those who deserve them." Spencer clapped a hand on Jason's shoulder before turning to face Kira. "Miss Ford, would you accompany me to the billiard room? I have something there that you need to see." He turned and strode from the room, obviously assuming that she would follow him. She did, with a worried look back at Xander. He made a move as if to go after her, but she motioned for him to stay where she was.

Kira walked quickly behind Spencer all the way to the room that had held a pool table the last time she'd been there. Now, in the center of the area rested a coffin. Kira gasped and put her hands to her mouth. Spencer turned to face her, his expression one of sincere concern.

"I'm sorry to spring this on you, my dear, but Hayley had his body brought here after the battle at Ninja Ops. Tori's body is here too but…I thought you would want to see his body. Or at least…well, I thought…" his voice was the one to trail off now and he silently moved off, leaving Kira to approach the coffin or not.

For a long moment, Kira simply stood there, staring at the oak box, willing it to disappear, praying that this was all a joke, all just a big laugh. But she knew it wasn't and so slowly, oh, so slowly, she walked closer. The lid was raised on the coffin and, once she was close enough, she could see who lay inside.

Connor McKnight was the stillest she had ever seen him. His eyes were closed and he might have been resting. Someone had changed his shirt and now he lay there in a clean red polo. Kira figured it was Mack's. He was wearing those faded old blue jeans that he was so fond of and his hair had been brushed so that it lay perfectly on his head, not a hair out of place. Kira stifled a sob and reached out. Before she thought twice about what she was doing, she rubbed her hand through his hair, messing it up, taking it back to a semblance of what it had been. Then she let her sobs come, great, gut-wrenching sobs and collapsed to the floor in front of the coffin. Her fingers scrabbled uselessly on the floor and she kicked her heels against the wooden bottom of the coffin. A small scream left her mouth as she tried to come to terms with the reality in front of her.

* * *

Xander had watched Kira go with worry in his heart. He had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach that what Kira "had to see" was not going to be good.

"She'll be okay," Jason said reassuringly. "Whatever it is, it can't-"

He cut off as Kira's sobs filled the air and then the soft scream echoed down the hallway. Xander cried, "Kira!" and leapt up from his seat. No one moved to go with him as he pounded down the hall towards the billiards room – if Kira was being attacked, they could be there in seconds and if she was simply undergoing some painful remembrance or seeing something painful, well, Xander was the only one she'd open up to.

_Even in the midst of such utter heartbreak and devastation, something more can still develop,_ Kim thought to herself.

Xander had his wand out as he entered the billiard room at a dead run. His brain didn't register the coffin at first, just the girl lying beside it, face buried in the carpet. His heart jumped into his throat at the thought that she might be hurt.

"Kira?" he asked urgently. A hand raised slightly off of the carpet was her only response. "Kir, are you ok?"

"He's really dead, Xander. Really and truly dead. All this time, ever since Hunter came back from Ninja Ops, I thought maybe Connor was just pretending and would come back. Maybe he was faking so they wouldn't vanish him and he just let the joke go on too long. Even when Wes and Eric told me that he was dead, I didn't want to believe it. But…there he is. In that box."

Xander stepped up to the coffin and peered inside. He hadn't known Connor as well as he knew Kira but there was no doubt in his mind that the boy lying inside was the leader of the Dino Thunder Ranger. "I'm so sorry, Kira." He dropped to his knees beside her and tried to put his arms around her but she shook him off and shrank away from him.

"His hair…" she paused before continuing. "His hair was too neat. His hair was never neat, never. Connor was a soccer player. It was always windblown and he was always pushing it out of his eyes. I messed it up. Spencer made it look nice but I messed it up."

Xander looked again at Connor. Yes, his hair did look mussed. "I think it looks more like him. He wouldn't have wanted it to be all neat."

Kira didn't let him talk any further. She pulled herself to her knees and slid over to sit beside Xander in front of the coffin. "We can't win, can we, Xan? Connor and Tori, Wes, Leo and Casey, they're the first of the rest of us aren't they? Flynn's big battle, all of us dying, it's all true, isn't it? You, me. We're going to die." She paused and then spoke again before Xander could get a word in edgewise. "Why is this happening again? I thought it was over. What did we do wrong?"

Xander set a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know the answer himself but there was one thing he could promise. "I don't know, Kira. But I do know that I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Kira glanced at Connor's coffin once more before looking up at Xander, defeat in her eyes and defeat in her heart. She'd given up on surviving. "Trent promised the same thing and you know what happened to him. Connor died protecting Tori and Hunter. Xander, you can't promise me that."

Just then, there was a shout from the library. "Xander! Kira! Guys, get in here! You're not going to believe this!"

Kira looked at Xander and Xander looked back at her, confusion written on both of their faces. Then, almost simultaneously, they jumped to their feet and ran back down the hallway and into the library. Once there, they found that it wasn't quite the same as when they had left it.

Besides Spencer, there was one additional person in the room. "Casey!" Kira cried upon seeing the wounded Ranger surrounded by his friends. "You _must_ be good luck if you keep escaping from them."

Casey's expression darkened. "This makes two times Leo has given up all for me. Once he was able to cheat death, much as I did. This time, he wasn't so lucky. He and Wes sacrificed themselves so I could escape. They held the Psychos off long enough for all of us to escape. I don't know why they did it, why they would push me away, make me run away. I don't know. What I do know is this – we have to win. Their sacrifices must not be in vain. We will avoid Flynn's outcome. We will not all die. We will not."

"These Psycho Rangers you speak of; they will be the ones using your comrade's weapons? Then they will be the ones who will need to feel the blast of your new gun first. I suggest you defeat them as soon as possible." Spencer said plainly. "As soon as possible."

"Gun? What gun?" Casey asked.

Eric spoke over him. "Defeat them? Defeat them! You're crazy. We can't defeat them. We're dead already. Man, we're walking dead. Walking dead."

Dominic shook his head. "They spoke of a master. Someone they were working for. We have to get to him and kill him. And to do that, we have to get rid of the Psychos. Which I suggest we do quickly, like Spencer said. As soon as possible."

"I don't have a morpher but I want in on this. That Psycho Red is mine." Casey's tone was flat. This was something he would not give in on.

"Hmm…you'd be Casey Rhodes?" Spencer asked. Casey nodded. "You have a Spirit Animal within you?" Casey nodded again. "I can help you there, actually." Spencer pulled what looked like a cell phone from his pocket. "This is Mack's morpher. It's usually configured to work only with Mack's biosigns but, after Mack died, Mr. Hartford made it compatible with any Ranger's biosign. If you'll summon your Tiger spirit, it will be transferred to this morpher and then you'll be the Overdrive Tiger Ranger. Has a nice ring to it, hmm?"

Casey hesitated for just a second before calling forth his spirit Tiger. Moments later, Spencer handed him the morpher, which was glowing with a faint red light.

"I'm in too. Let's bait and trap us some Psychos." Jason nodded. "Two reds and we can't lose, right, Casey?"

Kimberly nodded. "Count me in." She cast a swift glance at Jason, who seemed to study her for a minute and then nodded sharply.

Zhane frowned. "You're not leaving me behind on this one."

Eric's face was an unreadable mask. "I'm in too."

Ryan nodded. "One more ought to do it. I'll go. That way, we have the rest of you here for backup and, should we not be successful, you'll still be up and fighting."

Jason looked at Kimberly. "Well? Let's do it."

**Author's Note: So what do you think? Please read and review. It's about to get crazy, don't worry. And I know the story is really straying from the really cool trailer that I had but I hope to update the trailer and make it work. Who knows? Anyway, I'm pretty sure I know where this story is going now but the whole thing with Spencer never crossed my mind until I started writing this chapter so who knows? Anyway, please please please read and review!! PLEASE!!!**


	12. Changing the Future

If they were, as Eric had put it, the walking dead, then they were some corpses that were ready to kick butt. They walked down the street towards the mall, each one seeming lost in his or her own thoughts. But every single one of them wore the same determined expression.

Casey and Jason strode down the middle of the street. Casey had changed into clean clothes, pretty much raiding Mack's closet to find red clothes. He wore a pair of Mack's blue jeans that had holes artfully ripped in the knees and a red t-shirt with a design on it in black. His arms swung loosely at his sides, his left hand in a fist around his new morpher. He hadn't had a chance to try it out yet but was sure it would work perfectly. A slight limp belied the pain he still felt from his injured leg and the gash he'd received on his thigh but his head was high and he wouldn't let any pain show on his face.

Jason still wore his red t-shirt and blue jeans that he'd had on since the beginning. A grim expression was on his face and he clutched his Power Coin in his hand. His stride was long, almost a swagger, as if he didn't have a care in the world, though, in reality, his thoughts were on the phone call he'd just finished and the arrangements he had just made. That was the image he hoped to present and so far, it was working. In his other hand, he held the new weapon, barrel pointed down at the ground. His thumb caressed the trigger over and over.

Kimberly was the only girl in the group of corpses. She walked beside Jason, wearing a blue jean skirt over pink leggings and a pink tank top. There was no weakness in her eyes, only desire to see the enemy destroyed and no more of her friends killed. Pink ballet flats graced her feet and made a quiet _slap-slap_ on the pavement. Her Power Coin rested in her right hand, her fingers clenched tightly around the morpher.

Zhane was on the other side of Casey. With every step he took, he balled his fists and then un-balled them. His black jacket was wrinkled but his silver shirt looked freshly ironed. His black pants also looked clean since he hadn't seen action yet this go-around. He matched Casey stride for stride and kept all expression from his face, knowing that if he let his guard down, he'd turn around and run for the spaceport, to stop the Astro Megaship before it could leave with his most prized possession onboard. He had not come to play around. He had come to fight and win.

Ryan anchored the end of the line beside Kimberly. There was sadness on his face and in his eyes but also a determination to see this through to the end. Nothing could change the fact that his baby sister was dead but he intended to do his best to see that no one else suffered the same fate. His black button-up, collared shirt was tucked into a faded pair of blue jeans and his fingers hovered over his morpher. When the time came, he would be ready. He might already be dead but he intended to take as many Psychos with him as he could in the end.

At the opposite end of the line from Ryan was Eric. Fury warped the Quantum Ranger's handsome features, fury and a sadness that came from losing your love, your best friend and all your other friends in less than a month. Eric's stride was purposeful, each footfall precise. He had swiped a red polo from Mack's closet and it hugged his body tightly, being a size too small. His white button-up was over that, unbuttoned and untucked into his dark blue jeans.

Casey and Jason were a few steps in front of the others when they reached the parking lot in front of Belk. The Rangers stopped, looking around uneasily, feeling as if something or someone was watching them, waiting for them to make a mistake.

"Ready?" Casey asked the others. Various murmurs and mutters of agreement answered him and Casey turned back to face the shopping mall. "Come out, come out wherever you are! It's time you met your end!"

"Our end?" a malicious voice echoed on the wind as three figures strode towards the six Rangers. "Don't make me laugh. This is your time to die. Let's see…ah, yes. Eric Meyers. I believe your team often used the phrase, 'Your time is up'? Well, it applies here too. Your time is up, Rangers."

Now the three were close enough for Casey to make out who they were. Psycho Red was flanked on either side by Psychos Blue and Black. All three were appearing in their regular, mechanical guises and they stopped when they were but a few paces from the Rangers.

"Well? Shall we?" Psycho Red asked mockingly and nodded to his comrades. At once, they began to shift form so that when their features stilled, the Rangers were facing three completely different persons.

Casey and Jason stared into the eyes of Leo Corbett. He looked just as he always did, his blue button-up shirt flapping open over a red t-shirt. A sinister grin was on his face, something that had never graced those lips before. Kimberly and Ryan faced Adam Park while Zhane and Eric faced Tori Hanson.

"Let's join the party, guys." Jason raised his power coin. "It's Morphin' Time! Tyrannosaurus!"

The others were quick to follow his lead. "It's Morphin' Time! Pterodactyl!" "Lightspeed, Rescue!" "Quantum Power!" "Let's Rocket!"

And finally, Casey called out the morphing code he had been taught by Spencer. "Overdrive Accelerate, Spirit Unleashed!"

"Mighty Morphin' Red Ranger!" "Mighty Morphin' Pink Ranger!" "Titanium Ranger!" "Quantum Ranger!" "Silver Space Ranger!" "Overdrive Tiger Ranger!"

"Let's do this." Jason raised his gun but, before he could fire, Psycho Red moved faster than humanly possible. He was a whirlwind as he rushed forward and kicked the gun from Jason's hand. It skittered to a stop about fifteen feet away and then the battle was on.

Jason and Casey attacked at the same time. Casey was making full use of Mack's Drive Defender as Jason swung his Power Sword. Psycho Red dodged both of their attacks and pulled out Leo's Quasar Saber, returning their thrusts in kind. Casey ducked under a slash from Red and dropped to his belly, letting Red's foot pass over his head. Jason mounted an attack from behind Red but Red seemed to have a sixth sense and jabbed backwards with his sword, catching Jason just under his ribcage. The Red Ranger's suit bled away most of the damage from the attack but it was still enough to send Jason sprawling. Casey danced in and pulled out his Jungle Chucks, swinging them around his head before aiming at Psycho Red. Red somersaulted backwards and had Leo's Quasar Launcher pointed at Casey before he even regained his footing. Casey had no time to react before the powerful blast knocked him off his feet. He landed in a heap near Jason and lay there for a second, completely winded, but knowing that if he didn't get up soon, he wouldn't get up at all.

Kimberly was employing all her gymnastics knowledge as she somersaulted and cartwheeled around Pyscho Black, who swung Adam's Power Axe with deadly precision. She hadn't even attacked yet, though she held her Power Bow in one hand. She was focusing on defense while letting Ryan parry and counterstrike with his V-Lancer. Ryan pulled his Rescue Blaster from its holster at the same time that he launched a series of slashes and thrusts at Black, shooting three blasts as a follow-up attack, hoping at least one hit would be good. Psycho Black easily dodged all the attacks and launched his own offensive, but not at Ryan. He didn't even look over his shoulder as he pivoted and slashed Adam's Power Axe in a horizontal strike behind him, right where Kimberly was. There was no time for her to dodge or anything. Instead, she took the hit right in the chest and fell to the ground. Ryan didn't wait to see if she would get up. Howling in fury and pain, Ryan hacked with his V-Lancer, attacking, attacking, attacking. Psycho Black parried each strike before launching his counter-offensive that soon had Ryan backpedaling and doing all he could just to stay on his feet.

Eric's morphing suit was already gone, thanks to a devastating blow by Psycho Blue with Tori's Sonic Fin. Psycho Blue had used Tori's inner Ninja powers to fire a stream of concentrated water at Eric that had hit him in the face, driving him back and rendering him unable to see for a few precious seconds as he shook water out of his eyes. Zhane, seeing that Eric was vulnerable, went on the offensive and skated towards Psycho Blue, sword flashing. Blue simply twirled out of the way and slapped Tori's Ninja Sword across his back, sending him falling. He caught himself with his hands and pushed back to his feet, turning to attack again, this time with his Super Silverizer. But it was no good as Psycho Blue leapt up, higher than anyone should be able to jump and the blasts flashed harmlessly by, straight at Eric. The Quantum Time Force Ranger still had water in his eyes and steam clouding his vision and all he saw was what looked like a burst of bright light. He never even saw the blasts until they impacted his body and sent him flying up into the air. When he crashed back onto the pavement, he looked like a limp rag doll and Eric, Quantum Ranger, became the first Walking Dead to become truly dead.

"We have got to get that gun!" Casey yelled as he and Jason attacked together, Jason going low, Casey going high. Neither hit seemed to faze Psycho Red.

"I know! Cover me!" Jason shouted. He turned to run for the gun and Casey jumped in between him and Psycho Red. Now he wielded both a Shark Saber and the Drive Defender with uncanny accuracy, scoring hit after hit on Psycho Red. Unfortunately for him, Psycho Red didn't seem to get any weaker with each successive hit. Casey drove in, bringing his swords in for a double thrust, when Psycho Red spun out of his path and fired Leo's Quasar Launcher at Jason before Casey could do anything. The blast hit the Mighty Morphin' Ranger in the back, sending him soaring away from the gun. He crashed to the ground and didn't move. Casey yelled in shock and doubled his attack, hoping to get Psycho Red off guard enough to get to the gun.

Kimberly was slowly getting to her feet when Psycho Black blurred into motion. He hit Ryan one-two-three with Adam's Power Axe, sending the Titanium Ranger staggering back, his morphing suit flickering wildly and then Psycho Black was at Kimberly's side, swinging the Axe high for a killing blow.

"Oh no you don't!" Ryan shouted. He leapt into the air, clearing the distance between him and Kimberly in nanoseconds and came down right in front of her, his V-Lancer raised over his head to catch the Axe on it. But the Axe was no longer there. The Axe was below his V-Lancer, coming in at his side. It dug into flesh, tearing ligaments and muscles and pushing Ryan to the ground, unable to move, his breath coming in gasps. And then there was nothing he could do as Kimberly raised her Power Bow in a last-ditch effort to protect herself.

Psycho Black seemed content to give her that effort. He backed up a step and raised his hand, motioning her forward.

All over the parking lot, battles were not going well for the Rangers. They were soon becoming not just the Walking Dead. They were becoming dead.

* * *

Mr. Hartford's Mansion

* * *

Xander paced around the library. He paused at a bookshelf and ran his fingers over the spines of the books. _Lord of the Rings. Wheel of Time. Harry Potter._ He glanced around at the other Rangers in the room and was surprised at how few of them there were left.

Dominic and Rose sat in armchairs at the edge of the room, talking quietly. Flynn was off by himself as was Hunter. Billy was reading – he had said that it was the only thing that would keep his mind off of what was happening. And Kira was with Connor.

"This is madness." Flynn looked at Xander. "We have to go help them."

"No, we all agreed. Better to keep some in reserve in case…in case…" Xander didn't finish his sentence.

"But what if this is it? What if this is the big battle that is supposed to happen? And they all die? What if by us being there, we can make a difference?" Flynn hadn't wanted to believe Dr. K's words but he knew that they were probably right. They _were_ in trouble.

Rose looked up now. "He has a point. What if they don't get a chance to use the gun because they're too overwhelmed or something? That's our only hope. I say we go help them. Look around, Xander. There are seven Rangers here. Six out fighting. If what Flynn's talking about is true, this great battle has to have had more than just seven Rangers in it or six. It was a _big battle_. We're probably talking great glory for the bad guys. More glory than just killing six or seven. Enough glory that they probably defeated thirteen of us at once. But what if Flynn's being here does change things? I think we should go help them."

Dominic nodded his agreement and Xander glanced at Hunter. The blonde didn't look as if he were paying any attention at all but Xander knew that when it came down to a fight, the Crimson Thunder Ranger would be focused. He looked at Billy. Billy shrugged. "She's got a point as well. Maybe this is how we change history."

Kira walked in just then, fury warping her features. "Yes. We need to get out there and fight. Now. Before it's too late. Flynn came here for a reason. This is that reason."

Xander shook his head. "I agree. But not you. You're not coming."

Hunter looked up and gave Xander a weird look. Flynn was also staring at the Australian man. Kira tried to play it off. "Why? Why wouldn't I come? I want to be there. I want to help them. You can't stop me."

Xander sighed. "Kira. No. I know what's going on and you're not going to put yourself at risk. Unless you want everyone to know your secret, shut up. You're not going and that's final."

Dominic looked from Kira to Hunter. "Someone want to clue the rest of us in?"

"Go ahead," Kira taunted, her face grief-stricken, "Clue them in, Xan. Tell them why you won't let me fight. They won't agree with you."

"Kira's pregnant." Xander locked eyes with Hunter and saw understanding dawn in the Thunder Ranger's eyes. "There's no way she should be fighting in that condition. She needs to stay here."

"I'm only like two months pregnant, Xander! And those are my friends out there! I won't sit by while you guys go to rescue them. Now, come on. We don't have time to stand around debating the issue."

Xander turned for help from Hunter. The blonde man shook his head. "I don't know, Xander. I think it's her choice. She wants to fight, leave her son to possibly be an orphan, maybe kill the child inside her, let her." At first, Xander wanted to punch the guy for agreeing with Kira. Then he saw that Hunter was trying to use reverse psychology and get Kira to see what she refused to believe.

Kira nodded. "I'll be fine. I can still kick anyone here's butt. Any day. Now are we going or not?"

"Please, Kira, don't do this. We – I won't be able to protect you out there." Xander's words were quiet, a whisper.

Kira refused to look at him. "I'm going. That's final."

Xander hesitated a moment than pointed his finger at Rose. "Fine. We're heading out."

**Author's Note: Well, this chapter didn't go at all where I planned. Huh. Stupid Flynn, deciding to go help them. He wasn't supposed to do that but…what can you do? Scots. I also apologize for it being short. Anyway, hope the fighting was cool maybe. Hope this chapter wasn't too boring. But it's heating up now, as you can tell. Please, I beg of you, read and review. Thanks to Pinkranger888 for reviewing every chapter! You're awesome! Also thanks to GemmaUzumaki for reviewing! Thanks a lot. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW it makes me happy! Until tomorrow!**

**Author's Note 2: So I realized I made a mistake in the end and only kept 6 Rangers alive when I should have kept 7 alive. So I have decided to save Zhane because I really felt bad about killing him. And I like him a lot. So I'm going to change each of the following chapters to reflect this change. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Prelude to the End

Casey was getting tired. His morphing suit had vanished a few seconds ago and, without the protection of the Universal Morphing Grid, he wasn't sure how much punishment he could take. Jason still wasn't moving and he had seen Eric, Zhane and Ryan go down as well. That left him and Kimberly on their feet, two of them against three Psychos. Kimberly was fighting with all she had against Psycho Black, her morphing suit gone and numerous tears adorning her clothes, alternating between using her Power Bow and Jason's Power Sword. Casey hadn't seen how the Pink Ranger had gotten the sword but she had and she was wielding it with great abandon.

"Get that gun!" Kimberly shouted as she cartwheeled away from a powerful attack from Psycho Black. She dodged the follow-up and pulled her bowstring to her ear, loosing a Power Arrow at the Psycho Ranger, who twisted out of the way and launched himself at Kimberly.

"Little busy here!" Casey cried in response. He leapt away from Psycho Red only to find himself set upon by Psycho Blue. "Think we ought to call on the others?"

But Kimberly didn't answer. She was too busy dodging attacks from her opponent. Each attack seemed to fall right on the heels of the one before it. Casey caught a glimpse of Ryan struggling back to his feet.

"Ryan, no!" Casey yelled. He knew, without a doubt, that if the Titanium Ranger tried to come to the aid of either him or Kimberly, Ryan would die. As it was, he was already demorphed and spilling blood out of a deep wound on his side.

_I need to get that gun,_ Casey thought and threw himself forward, in a desperate bid for the gun, hoping against hope that some miracle would happen and he could at least get some of his friends out of this alive.

* * *

A Hummer and an ATV sped down the streets of San Angeles. Dominic drove Mack's Hummer with Flynn, Rose, Xander and Kira with him. Hunter drove Will's ATV with Billy behind him. Both vehicles sped along as if the devil himself were after them.

"Do you think we'll make it in time?" Flynn shouted at Dominic as the Rhino Ranger threw the Hummer into a sharp right turn.

"We'll make it!" Dominic replied. "Just be ready for anything!"

But they weren't prepared for what they saw when they entered the mall parking lot. Dominic brought the Hummer fishtailing to a stop as Hunter skidded to a halt in the ATV. The seven Rangers leapt out of the two vehicles and raced towards where Casey, Kimberly and Ryan were fighting for their lives.

"Casey! Casey!" Dominic shouted as loud as he could. "Casey, we're here!"

Casey never looked up from the intricate dance he was in. Instead, he called, "Get the gun, Dominic! Get the gun!"

Dominic looked around and saw the long-handled, red gun lying a few paces away from Casey's fight. "Flynn! You and Xander help Kimberly! Kira, you and Billy help Casey! Hunter and Rose take Psycho Blue and I'll get the gun. Move it, move it, move it!"

He suited actions to words and raced towards where the gun lay. Psycho Red moved to stop him but then Kira and Billy were there. Psycho Blue leapt towards Dominic but Hunter and Rose blocked his way. Flynn and Xander took over Kimberly's fight, pushing Ryan out of the way and letting Kim take a breather. Dominic reached the gun a second later and grabbed it up, spinning back towards the fight.

"Clear!" he shouted and, instantly, every Ranger in the lot dove out of the way. At the same time, Dominic fired, holding down the trigger and sweeping the barrel of the gun from side to side, making sure he got all three Psychos in the blast.

Nothing seemed to happen. Psycho Red laughed and took one step forward. Then, all of a sudden, he froze. Neither Psycho Blue or Psycho Black moved either. Casey swept his hand forward. "Attack!!" he screamed.

The ten Rangers swarmed the three Psychos, hacking and attacking. In the ten seconds of paralysis that the gun gave them, they managed to defeat all three Psycho Rangers.

Casey and Dominic met in the middle of the lot with high fives. "We did it, Dom. We finally won one." Casey's grin quickly turned into a frown. "But I think…I think we lost some more."

Billy ran over to where Jason lay and knelt down beside his friend and fellow Ranger. As gently as he could, he turned the young man over onto his back and felt for a pulse. The subsequent sagging of his shoulders and ducking of his head let every Ranger know that the first leader of the Power Rangers hadn't survived. Kimberly crumpled to the ground right where she stood and wrapped her arms around her head, keening loudly. Kira and Rose both knelt beside her and put their arms around her, lending her their strength and their comfort.

Hunter approached Eric but it didn't take more than a glance to see that he was dead, his stomach charred black. The Crimson Thunder Ranger stood over the Quantum Ranger's body, his eyes closed and everyone knew that he was reliving the other deaths he had seen already.

Flynn crouched over Zhane's body, feeling for a pulse. A second later, he looked up at his fellow Rangers. "He's okay, I think, though he's got a serious wound on his side. Man…and a gash on his head. He's unconscious and my advice is to leave him that way. With those injuries, he would be more of a hindrance than a help now."

Xander was arguing with Ryan at the corner of the lot. Even though there were liters of blood pouring out of Ryan's side and his face was a grayish pale color, the Titanium Ranger refused to sit down or even let his wound be looked at.

"If you don't let me work on you, you're going to die, Ryan! You're not invincible! You can still die!" Xander shouted in frustration.

"Look, Xander, I appreciate it. But I'm not going to sit by and let my body heal while you guys are out fighting, ok? I owe it to Carter and to Dana. To Leo and Wes and Eric. I can't, all right? I won't." Ryan's tone was firm but there was a waver to it that showed the true weakness he was trying so hard to hide.

"Not acceptable. With you in this condition, we'd spend precious time making sure you were okay, precious time that could be better spent fighting the other two Psychos if they ever decide to show up. You can either do this the hard way or the easy way." Xander raised his wand but Ryan turned and started to walk away, muttering about know-it-all wizards. "All right then. The easy way." He pointed his wand at Ryan's retreating back and murmured a spell. Immediately, long green vines pushed their way out of the ground all around the Titanium Ranger and quickly ensnared him. In seconds, he was unable to move any direction. Xander stalked towards him, ready to do some more magic that would hopefully keep him in one piece until they could provide a more permanent remedy.

A tinkling laugh suddenly echoed across the parking lot. All of the Rangers tensed, looking around to see where the noise had come from. There was no one there. The laugh came again, this time accompanied by a girlish giggle.

"Who's there?" Casey shouted. "Come out where we can see you!"

"If that's the way you want it." A voice said and two figures stepped around the edge of Belk. Casey squinted towards the figures and saw that it was really four people – only two were being held in front of the other two.

As the four got closer, Casey could tell that the two in front were struggling, putting up a fierce battle but getting nowhere. And then, finally, he could see who they were.

"NO!" Dominic cried when he saw Fran in the clutches of Psycho Yellow, masquerading as Lily. "Let her go now!"

Another shout came from Xander when he saw Clare being manhandled by Psycho Pink, appearing as Vida. "If you don't let her go right now, I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what? Stutter at me? Pardon me if I'm not shaking in my boots, Green Ranger." Psycho Pink laughed and then raised her voice, as if making it clear she was addressing all the assembled Rangers. "We found these two and decided they might help make some things clear for you. I hope they can help us avoid any misunderstandings."

"Yes." Psycho Yellow added. "You see, it's time for all of you to die. Our Master is ready to destroy the Earth and I'm afraid that you Power runts are the only ones standing in his way. So we're going to have to ask you to lie down and die. If you don't…" she let her voice trail off as Psycho Pink finished her sentence.

"…we'll have to kill these two poor, defenseless women. And you wouldn't want that on your conscience, would you? No, I thought not. In fact, why don't you two beg them to save you?"

Psycho Pink removed her hand from Clare's mouth and gave her a sharp prod in the ribs with her elbow. Clare hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Xander, they killed Udonna and Leanbow. I don't know how they did it but I couldn't get away. Xander, please, I don't want to die. I don't. Xander, please."

Xander took a step forward, a snarl ripping up from his chest, before Kira laid a hand on his arm. "We'll get her back, Xan, don't worry. Just hang on."

Now Psycho Yellow removed her hand from Fran's mouth. There was no need to prod Fran; she began babbling almost instantly. "Dominic, I'm so scared. Flit…they killed Flit, he was just hanging out and they killed him and they said they'll kill me too and Casey, I don't want to die, please, Dominic, don't let them kill me, please, I didn't mean to do anything, please, please, Casey, Dom, don't let them kill me."

Dominic growled and Casey cast him a calming look. "Don't worry, Fran! We're going to get you out of this and you're going to be fine. Just calm down." Casey's words were strong but his fellow Rangers could see the trembling in his hands.

"Now die or we kill them." Psycho Pink announced. She pulled out a wicked looking dagger and held the tip inches from Clare's throat. Psycho Yellow did the same.

Just then, from out of nowhere, a power Arrow zipped past Casey and hit Psycho Pink in the eye. At the same time, Hunter moved, running towards Psycho Pink and throwing himself at her while she was still reeling from the attack, hitting her low and forcing her away from Fran. Another arrow flew towards Psycho Yellow and hit her in the same place as Psycho Pink. Flynn was on Psycho Yellow before she even had time to react. Clare, still having her wits about her, grabbed Fran's hand and pulled her away from the fight, towards the other Rangers.

The two arrows didn't faze Psychos Pink and Yellow for long and it was matter of seconds before they threw off Hunter and Flynn, sending the two Rangers sprawling.

"No matter." Psycho Yellow shifted form quickly, from Lily to Dustin to Ashley to Summer. "We will still destroy you. Our Master has said it must be so."

Casey stepped up, his morpher in his hand. He prayed that he would have enough juice to morph as he saw all the other Rangers moving to stand alongside him, morphers ready. "Ready, guys?" he asked down the line. Turning back to face the Psychos, he raised his morpher high and shouted, "Overdrive Accelerate, Spirit Unleashed!" Seconds later, he stood there in the red and white biosuit with the red tiger on the chest. He twirled his Drive Defender in one hand and his Jungle Chucks in the other. "Overdrive Tiger Ranger!"

Dominic was the next to take up the call. "Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" After the cloud of white smoke dissipated, he raised his fist and shook it at the Psycho Rangers. In his other hand he held his Rhino Blade. "Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger!"

Xander was ready for anything. Raising his wand to the heavens, he shouted, "Magical Source, Mystic Force!" Once he completed the moves associated with his morph, he was clad in his green biosuit, his cape hanging behind him. He clutched his Magi Staff in one hand and the Mystic Lion Staff in the other. "Strong as a Tree! Green Mystic Ranger!"

"It's Morphin' Time! Pterodactyl!" Kimberly shouted at the same time that Billy shouted, "It's Morphin' Time! Triceratops!" The two original Rangers stood side by side, one in pink and white and the other in blue and white. Kimberly still held her Power Bow and Billy his Power Lance. Both looked ready for action. "Mighty Morphin' Triceratops Ranger! Mighty Morphin' Pterodactyl Ranger!"

Kira stood beside Xander. "Dino Thunder, power up, ha! Super Dino Mode!" she cried and disappeared in a cloud of yellow smoke. Once that cleared, she stood facing the Psycho Rangers in her yellow biosuit, Thundermax Saber in her hand. Her suit's wings fluttered slightly in the breeze. "Ptera Ranger!"

"Overdrive Accelerate!" Rose cried and was instantly wearing her pink biosuit and twirling her Drive Defender in one hand. "Pink Overdrive Ranger!" Hunter's call was just a beat behind Rose's. "Thunder storm, Ranger form, ha!" When he was done morphing, he was wearing his Crimson suit and was ready for battle. "Crimson Thunder Ranger!"

Flynn was the last one to morph. "RPM get in gear!" he shouted and was clad in his blue Ranger suit. He called on his Turbo Cannon and cradled the big gun in two hands. "RPM Blue Ranger!"

Ryan was still entangled in Xander's vines and, though he thrashed about, it was likely that was where he would stay for the duration of the battle. But for the other nine, this was either the end of the line for them or the end of the line for the Psychos. There was no middle ground. This was the prelude to the end.

**Author's Note: Yes, I'm sure I made people mad killing off Jason, Zhane and Eric but what has to happen has to happen. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too boring. The next one won't be boring at all I promise. Please, please PLEASE read and review!**

**Author's Note 2: Ok, I revived Zhane. For the reasons, see Author's Note at the end of Ch. 11. Not much different in this chapter. But oh well. So now there are eleven Rangers still alive I think. Maybe. We'll see. Man, I'm not good with counting…**


	14. Waiting to Fight

The two sides faced off. Nine Rangers opposite two Psycho Rangers. For once, the advantage was definitely in the Ranger's court. But the Psychos weren't done yet. Psycho Pink shifted forms rapidly, from Dana to Kendrix to Vida to Cassie and finally came to a stop wearing Jen's face. Each time she changed form, she drew that Ranger's most powerful weapon and laid it at her feet. Dana's V-Lancer. Kendrix's Quasar Launcher. Vida's Magi Staff. Cassie's Satellite Stunner. Jen's Chrono Sabers. All of these she placed in front of her and the Rangers knew that any injuries they sustained would come from a comrade's weapon. Psycho Pink seemed to deliberate for a moment before picking up one of the Chrono Sabers and Vida's Magi Staff. These she twirled in her hands and looked to her compatriot.

Psycho Yellow was doing the same as Psycho Pink had done. She went from Ashley to Summer to Chip to Dustin. Finally, she stopped on Lily. As Pink had also done, Yellow called on powerful weapons from each Ranger whose form she wore and set them before her, carefully, as if she were afraid of harming them. Ashley's Star Slinger. Summer's Zip Charger. Chip's Magi Staff. Dustin's Lion Hammer. Lily's Jungle Bo. Yellow glanced up at the Rangers before selecting the Lion Hammer and the Jungle Bo as her first weapons.

"You can't hope to win," Rose announced quietly. "We have you outnumbered and outgunned. Surrender now and things will go easy for you. Don't and we will be forced to destroy you. This we promise."

"Surrender? Foolish girl. Why should we surrender when we so obviously hold the high ground?" Psycho Yellow pointed the Lion Hammer at Rose and motioned to all the weapons at their feet with the Bo. "Silly Rangers. Even with superior numbers you are no match for our superior strength."

"We'll see about that. Ready, guys?" Casey glanced from left to right.

"Ready!" came the determined answer from eight throats. Then, as one, the nine remaining Power Rangers raced forward to do battle.

They split instinctively into two groups, one of four and one of five, each group taking one Psycho Ranger. Flynn, Rose, Dominic, Billy and Hunter circled Psycho Pink while Casey, Xander, Kira and Kimberly faced off with Psycho Yellow. There was a moment of appraisal and then Psycho Yellow leapt at Kira, swinging the Lion Hammer down at her head.

Kira rolled out of the way and slashed behind her with her Thundermax Saber but Psycho Yellow jumped nimbly over the sword. Yellow parried two attacks from Casey and Kimberly before turning and driving at Xander. The green Ranger brought his Magi Staff up in time to block her attack but a kick from her caught his ankles and sent him to the ground. She followed up with a strike intended to cleave him in two but Kira's Saber met Lily's Jungle Bo with a resounding _clang!_ Then Casey and Kimberly were advancing from behind and Psycho Yellow turned to intercept them. Xander hopped to his feet and moved forward with Kira to attack Psycho Yellow. Seconds later, the two of them found themselves facing not Psycho Yellow as they had expected but Casey and Kimberly. Psycho Yellow appeared to have vanished.

"Over here, Rangers!" her voice came and they whirled to see her standing by her cache of weapons, Summer's Zip Charger pointed right at them. "Say good-bye!" she shouted and fired. There was no time to react. The powerful blast lifted all four Rangers off their feet and threw them a good couple of yards away from the battle. They crashed onto the pavement and lay there, all the breath knocked out of them, as Psycho Pink's fight continued with the other five Rangers.

Dominic and Billy had charged Psycho Pink together, Rhino Blade and Power Lance both whistling downward to meet an upraised Chrono Saber. With a mighty heave, Psycho Pink managed to push both of the Rangers back a few steps, then pivoted to slash her Saber across Rose's side. The pink Ranger fell back a pace, hands going to her side as Hunter stepped in front of her. He threw a right hook at Psycho Pink's face that she easily avoided and she retaliated, thrusting her knee up into Hunter's gut. The Crimson Ranger didn't see the attack quickly enough and doubled over. His involuntary reaction earned him a karate chop across the neck and he slammed to the ground. Psycho Pink whirled back around to face Dominic and Billy. She soon had them tripping over each other and finally hit Billy with a one-two combo that sent him hurtling through the air. When he landed, his morphing suit faded away, as did his Power Lance lying a few feet away from him. Dominic redoubled his attack and slashed sideways. Psycho Pink twirled sideways to find herself in the clear for a moment. But not for long as Flynn leveled his Turbo Cannon at her. He didn't even hesitate, just fired directly at the Psycho Ranger. The blast impacted squarely with her chest and threw her back into the wall of Belk. All four Rangers moved closer, heading in for the kill, when she sprang to her feet, as nimbly as if she hadn't been hurt at all.

"Blast it all!" Flynn tossed aside his Turbo Cannon and yanked out his Nitro Sword. He seemed almost to glide forward as he advanced, meeting Psycho Pink halfway between them. His footwork was intricate, seeming to almost be a dance as they battled. Dominic moved to engage her as well but then pulled back, fearing to break Flynn's concentration. Flynn slammed a punch home on Psycho Pink's faceplate but Psycho Pink returned the favor with a roundhouse kick to Flynn's abdomen. He stumbled back a few steps but launched himself forward again with a growl. He leapt off the ground with a spinning kick and followed it up with a strong right hook. His sword arm swept around in a strike intended to separate Psycho Pink's torso from her legs. She leapt backwards but it wasn't quite fast enough. Flynn's attack sliced across her knees and she fell on her face.

Now Rose advanced, her Drive Defender raised high above her head, ready to deliver the final strike. But when she brought her sword whistling downward, Psycho Pink wasn't there. The only thing to mark her disappearance was a bright _puff_ of bright pink smoke. Flynn looked at Dominic who shrugged.

"Guys?" Casey called from across the parking lot. "She disappeared."

"So did Pink. Keep your eyes peeled." Dominic and his group moved towards the others. Ryan was still now, in the vines. The nine of them were all facing different directions, their backs towards the middle of the circle they formed, all of them with their weapons raised. Billy was the only one without a weapon or a morphing suit.

"Where did they go? We had her!" Flynn pounded his fist into his hand. "We had her!"

"We're right here, Rangers!!" Psycho Pink's voice was lilting.

Rose looked around, as did all the other Rangers. Soon, it was very apparent where Psycho Pink and Yellow were as two monstrous forms rose up above the tree line. A few seconds later, Ryan cried out in surprise as Psycho Pink shifted forms and appeared as the Galaxy Megazord. Then Casey shouted in frustration and fury as Psycho Yellow took control of Lily's Cheetah Zord and the Jungle Pride Megazord.

"We're screwed." Kimberly muttered. "We don't have Megazord power with most of our Rangers vanished. And I don't have Megazord capability at all; neither does Billy. What are we going to do?" She lowered her Power Bow until the tip dragged on the ground and looked at Casey, the undeclared leader.

"I can still operate the Jungle Master Megazord and Dom can operate the Rhino Pride Megazord. Rose, Xander, Hunter, Kira? What about you guys? And Flynn, I'm pretty sure you can't call your zord from the future, correct?" Flynn nodded. "We can take them. We have to take them here."

Hunter shook his head. "The Thunder Megazord was destroyed. So was the Storm Megazord. I'm out of this one."

Kira looked at Xander, who nodded. Then she turned back to Casey. "I can't get mine; the Pterazord was destroyed in the final battle with Mesagog. But Xander can get his."

"And I can get mine." Rose added. She already had her morpher at her mouth, ready to call the zords into action when Casey gave the word.

"Flynn, Kim, Billy, Hunter, you guys hold out here. Give us a shout if you need anything. Billy, see if you can get enough power to morph while we duke it out up there. Ok? Let's rock and roll." Casey turned to wink at Dominic before looking up at the sky. "Jungle Spirits, Go!" Instantly, in front of him were three Animal Spirit Zords, the Penguin, the Gorilla and the Antelope. Casey leapt to the cockpit of the Gorilla Zord. "Gorilla zord!" he called as the three Zords came together to form a Megazord. "Jungle Master Megazord!"

Now it was Dominic's turn to raise his Control Dagger high into the air. "Rhino Zord, Warrior Mode!" The great white Zord came lumbering out and slowly transformed into a Warrior and Dominic leapt inside of it.

Xander stepped forward and pointed his Mystic Morpher at the sun. "Galwit Mysto Prifior! Mystic Titan!" he shouted and there wasn't time to blink twice before he and the giant Minotaur zord were one.

Rose was the only one left to call her zord. With a slight hesitation, she chose to call out her Auxiliary Zord. "Shovel Driver, Activate!" Seconds later, she was in the cockpit of her zord and facing the Jungle Pride Megazord along with Dominic and the Rhino Pride Megazord.

Casey moved the Jungle Master Megazord up alongside Xander's Minotaur Zord, opposite the Galaxy Megazord. There was a momentary pause and then Psycho Pink attacked, swinging in at the Minotaur with its Galaxy Megazord Saber. Xander pulled backwards as Casey moved in and punched at the Galaxy Megazord, a punch Psycho Pink easily avoided. Now Xander was back in the fight once more, bringing his axe to bear on the smaller Galaxy Megazord. The attack missed its target but still impacted the arm of the other Megazord, sending it back a step. Xander followed, sweeping the axe around for another attack but the Galaxy Megazord's saber stopped it before it could do any damage. The fight wore on, neither side gaining or losing an advantage.

Psycho Yellow's Jungle Pride Megazord was nimble and it was quick but Dominic knew all of its tricks. Unfortunately, it was still just as strong as his Rhino Megazord. And perhaps it was stronger than Rose's Shovel Driver. Pink flung the Jungle Setsukon at Rose and her zord, scoring a direct hit along the Shovel's side. Dominic pushed the Rhino Megazord forward, sword in hand to engage the enemy. He swung low and the Jungle Pride Megazord jumped over the attack. He swung high and it ducked. When he tried to swing in at its waist, the Setsukon was there to meet him. It wrapped around his sword and yanked it from his Megazord's hand. In the same breath, Psycho Yellow launched the Jungle Pride Megazord's finishing attack, the Savage Spin. Dominic tensed, anticipating the attack to be aimed at him, then gasped when he saw it was directed at Rose's already injured Shovel Driver.

"NO!!" Dominic screamed and threw his Rhino Pride Megazord sideways, barely managing to get between the powerful fist attack and Rose. But there was no time for him to put up his own defenses. Instead, his Rhino Pride Megazord was blasted apart by the attack, outright destroying the Rhino Steelzord and throwing Dominic from the cockpit. He landed near Kimberly and Billy, his morphing suit gone before he hit the ground. And then he didn't move.

"Dom!!" Rose shouted and pushed her Shovel Driver forward, intent on destroying Psycho Yellow. She employed her zord's Swing Attack but, alone, she wasn't fast enough or strong enough. Mere seconds passed before her zord too, was destroyed and Rose catapulted from it to land not too far from Dominic.

"Just like taking candy from babies." Psycho Yellow laughed and turned to engage Xander and the Mystic Minotaur.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Kimberly rushed to Rose's side while Billy dropped to his knees beside Dominic. They both felt the Rangers for a pulse and, after a moment, both pronounced the two brave Rangers dead.

"Why, though? Usually, our Megazords can take much more damage than that. Or at least our Dinozords and Thunderzords used to be able to take it. Are the zords so much less powerful now?" Kimberly asked Billy, tears streaking her face at the sight of two more Rangers gone.

Billy shook his head. "I don't know, Kim. Rose's zord just wasn't up to the task of taking on a fully formed Megazord and I guess Dominic's just didn't have enough defenses to block an up-close shot like that. But man! I wish we could do something, anything. But we don't have any Zords. Neither one of us does."

A shout from behind them reminded the two that there was one more Ranger still alive. They turned to see Ryan doing his very best to get out of the vines surrounding him. "I can fight! Let me out, I can fight!" he shouted.

Billy frowned. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't all the Lightspeed Megazords destroyed in the final battle with Queen Bansheera? I'm sure I heard that somewhere." He moved so that he could see Ryan's face and looked at the young man quizzically.

"They were, yes. But we have Merrick's Wild Zords! He gave them to Leo and I know Leo gave them to one of you! So let me call a Zord. I'm fine! Let me get up there and fight!"

Billy shook his head. "I don't think Leo gave them to anyone-"

Flynn interrupted him. "Actually, he gave them to me." The Scot pulled the three Wild Zord crystals from his pocket. "I'll fight." And before anyone could stop him, he shouted, "Wild Zords Descend!"

From out of nowhere came the Wolfzord, the Alligatorzord and the Hammerheadzord. Flynn ordered them to become the Predazord and he leapt into the cockpit.

He moved the Megazord closer to the battle but not close enough to be noticed, not yet. Then, he cried, quickly finding the Megazord's most powerful attack, "Blue Moon!"

The attack struck with great force and the Megazord was blown apart, each Galactabeast disappearing as Psycho Pink exploded in a giant burst of flame and smoke.

"Yes!" Casey crowed. He brought his Jungle Master Megazord in behind Psycho Yellow's Jungle Pride Megazord as Xander moved his Mystic Minotaur into position on Yellow's right flank. Finally, Flynn completed the triangle by bringing the Predazord in on Yellow's right flank.

"Looks like the end of the line for you, Psycho." Xander announced. His Megazord twirled its axe in a circle around its head.

"I don't think so. I can take all three of you." Psycho Yellow boasted.

"Not a chance!" Xander pushed forward at the same time that Flynn charged in the Predazord. They each grasped one of Psycho Yellow's arms and held tight as Casey unleashed the Jungle Master Megazord's most powerful attack.

"Fury Fists!" he yelled and launched his Megazord forward, fists flying to land squarely on the Jungle Pride Megazord's chest.

With one last cry, Psycho Yellow erupted in a ball of fire. Casey was glad to see the Tiger zord, Cheetah zord and the Jaguar zord standing there for a moment, in one piece, before they faded away.

As shouts of triumph and jubilee erupted across the communicators, a fierce lightening storm suddenly blew up. The three Rangers in their Megazords transported down to the ground and demorphed.

"What do you think is going on now?" Flynn asked as Kira, Billy, Hunter and Kimberly came running up to meet them. Someone had taken pity on Ryan and released him, though his arms were slung across Billy and Kira's shoulders. Hunter and Kimberly supported Zhane's dead weight between them. The Space Ranger was still unconscious, his head lolling forward and his chin resting on his chest.

"My guess? It's their Master coming." Billy muttered. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a giant lightning bolt crashed down right where he was standing. When the light faded from the Ranger's eyes, Billy was simply gone and Kira was supporting all of Ryan's weight. Xander rushed to duck under Ryan's other arm.

Casey's eyes widened in disbelief. "What…what…how?" was all he could manage as he took an involuntary step backwards.

"I don't-" was all Kimberly got out before another lightning bolt sizzled into the ground where she was. Seconds later, she was gone as well. Hunter stumbled sideways under Zhane's weight before he resituated himself.

"I think we ought to get out of here." Xander said hastily.

Casey nodded and ducked under Zhane's other arm. "Let's head back to the Hartford's." He turned and had taken one step when another bolt hit where he had been half a second earlier. The other Rangers started to move too and the lightning bolts became coming faster and faster and faster. They ran, hoping to outdistance death.

* * *

Once back at the Hartford's, Spencer was nowhere to be found. They laid Zhane in Mack's bed and headed to the pool room to see what was going on. Assuming he had gone back to rejoin Mr. Hartford, Casey dropped into a seat and turned on the TV. He flipped to the news and was surprised to see an emergency broadcast.

"-repeat, it's some kind of computer virus, hacking into everything. Computers are crashing worldwide and we have reports that all the Power Rangers are dead. All of them. It seems there will be no turning to them now." The reporter's expression was one of sheer terror.

"Dead? But we're not all dead." Xander pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're all supposed to be. It's supposed to be us fighting this computer virus in a couple of years. Just us." Flynn's voice was quiet.

"We have unconfirmed reports that this computer virus is somehow sentient and that it calls itself Venjix." The reporter continued to speak but all eyes in the room had turned to Casey.

"So what do we do now?" Kira asked quietly.

"We wait. And when the time comes…we fight."

**Author's Note: So who saw this coming? I thought it was rather clever myself though I almost cried when I killed Dominic. The next chapter will be shorter, it's just a go-between kind of thing and then we'll see how things play out in Corinth City. Ms. Fairweather, thanks for reviewing! And Lina, thanks for reviewing! Please, please, please, read and review!!!**

**Author's Note 2: So here we go. Now Zhane is alive. Yay! Though unconscious. Poor guy. Please read and review. Thanks to dare-deviless for reviewing this chapter since I posted it! Please review!!**


	15. Soon

They waited and they watched. There was nothing else they could do, nothing else anyone could do.

Their headquarters had to be kept mobile. If it wasn't then the growing army of Grinders would definitely stumble on it and that would be the end of that.

Flynn was more or less in charge now. Casey was the one who gave the final orders and the final plans but they were dealing with things Flynn knew about now. Flynn knew all about everything they were going to be facing. So it was on his advice that the Rangers were keeping tabs on what was going on.

"You coming?" Kira asked Xander. The Mystic Force Ranger was sitting on a couch in an abandoned building near Reefside. Kira stared at him, her hands on her hips, waiting for him to answer her. "You said you would."

"Haven't we seen enough? It hasn't even been half a year and they've rounded up thousands upon thousands of humans. You honestly want to go out there and see them take people you might know? Looking like that?" Xander raised his eyes to hers and she noticed that his were full of pain and sorrow.

Kira laid a hand on her bulging belly. Everyone knew she was pregnant now. And everyone treated her like she was going to explode. Which, in her opinion, she wasn't. "I have to know what's happened to them. I have to see if they're still okay or if they've been captured. I have to know, Xan. And yeah, looking like this. I can't look any different." Kira shrugged and looked down at her feet. "They're my friends. Casey's heading out to Jungle Karma Pizza, Zhane just left for Angel Grove and Ryan and Hunter are going to Mariner Bay and Blue Bay Harbor later today. Please, Xander?" Kira knelt in front of him so that her eyes were on the same level as his.

Xander frowned. "Well, what if I want to go to Briarwood to see if my friends are still free? Why should I go with you? Maybe you should come with me." Xander was joking for the most part but he sort of did want to go check on things. Clare had gone back to Rootcore after the final battle with the Psychos and he hadn't heard from her since. He wanted to know about Toby and Phineas, Nikki and LeeLee too but he didn't know how he would handle it if they were dead or captured. And he didn't see how Kira could do it either.

"Please, Xander? I just want to see. We'll stay out of sight and won't get caught, I promise. Just look; that's all. Come on; I don't want to go by myself." Kira looked at him pleadingly and tried her best puppy dog smile.

With a sigh, Xander stood to his feet. "Fine. But if I go with you, you go with me to Briarwood. Understood?"

Kira nodded and the two Rangers headed out to do some spying and watching.

* * *

Casey sat on a hill overlooking Jungle Karma Pizza. Ocean Bluff was almost deserted, with just a few people left and most of them were people he knew. People who were still trying to defend the city and the people in it, those that were still remaining. And there was nothing he could do to help. All he could do was watch, and remember.

A sudden commotion outside the pizza parlor caught his attention and he looked down at the doorway in time to see it swing open and Fran come running out.

"I've had it up to here, Lewin!" she shouted, waving her fist in the air. "We are two of maybe fifteen people left in this god-forsaken town and I won't sit inside JKP and wait to be captured and put into a work camp! You can't force me to stay inside all the time. No one comes to buy our pizza. No one comes here except for the Pai Zhuq masters. And they're only here when they're not out trying to save the pitiful few left in town. I'm done. Maybe we can last longer if we get moving and don't stay in one place. It's worth a shot, right?"

Casey stared in surprise as Theo's brother, Lewin, followed Fran out of the building. "Come on, Fran. We've got to stay here and help the Masters protect those remaining. It's up to us now, Fran. Theo…Casey…Lily…RJ…Dominic, they're dead! You heard that Venjix guy – he killed all the Power Rangers. All of them. They're not coming to save the city; we're all that's left. If we don't defend these people, no one else will. We have to hold for as long as we can."

"Lewin's right, Fran! If you hadn't saved me a couple of months ago, I'd be in the work camp right alongside my Mom and Dad. Casey wouldn't want you to give up; I know he wouldn't. People still need your help." A boy walked out of the pizza parlor and Casey almost gasped. It was Josh, the boy with the kite.

"Let the Masters handle it. Surely Masters Finn, Phant and Swoop can handle it. I'm outta here." Fran began to walk away. She made it four paces before Grinders swarmed out of every alley, dark corner and building. In less than five seconds they had dragged her away, kicking and screaming, before Lewin and Josh could do anything.

"Fran!" Lewin shouted and took off after her, Josh right on his heels. The two ran right into another group of Grinders and there was nothing either of them could do to free themselves. Josh screamed as the Grinders slapped wrist restraints on him and pulled him away. Lewin fought quietly, his face an unreadable mask.

Casey felt a tear slide down his face as he watched three of his friends be hauled off but that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Perhaps alerted by Josh's and Fran's screams, three Pai Zhuq masters emerged from the pizza joint. Casey jumped to his feet when he saw them, his hand going instinctively to his morpher, even though he knew he couldn't and wouldn't morph.

"Stop right there!" Master Phant shouted as one of those robots that Flynn called an Attack Bot entered the scene. Then another and another. Each was surrounded by hordes of Grinders. Casey growled as Masters Phant, Swoop and Finn lined up to face the attackers.

"You will harm no more people here." Master Swoop said calmly.

"That is what you think." The Attack Bot laughed sinisterly and attacked, his comrades doing the same. Master Phant whirled the Jungle Mace through the air again and again and again. Master Swoop employed the Bat Technique and flew about his opponent until his opponent grabbed his leg and brought him crashing to the ground. Master Finn slashed and jabbed with his Shark Sabers but it was to no avail.

Moments later, the three Masters were weaponless and surrounded. They stood back to back in a triangle in the middle of a circle of enemies.

"You will be defeated, minions of evil. If not by us than by those who will follow. This is not the end." Master Finn's words were hard. He raised his hands and folded them in front of him. Then he brought his eyes up to the Attack Bot. Suddenly, he cried, "Call to the beast inside! Release the shark!"

"Free the beast inside! Release the Bat!"

"Free the beast inside! Free the Elephant!"

All three Masters' Animal Spirits erupted out of their bodies and sprang at the enemies. The Elephant swung his tusks, the Bat flapped his wings and the Shark spun to attack with his tail. None of the attacks landed. Each Attack Bot deflected the attack before it could land and sent all three Animal Spirits into oblivion.

"No." Casey muttered as Master Phant, Master Finn and Master Swoop were led away and he was forced to watch. Slowly, he dropped to his knees and looked at the deserted Jungle Karma Pizza. _They're all gone. All of them. How could it have come to this?_ Casey got back to his feet, jumped on his Strike Rider and rode off back towards their hideout, tears soaking the collar of his shirt.

* * *

Zhane stepped off of his Silver Cycle and left it lying on its side in the sand. He walked down the streets of Angel Grove, keeping to the shadows and keeping his hood up over his head. No one in Angel Grove – though there were few left – would have recognized him for the Silver Space Ranger. And that was the way he wanted it.

Frowning at the dust swirling around his feet, he pulled open the door to the Surf Spot and walked inside, tugging the cowl of his cloak forward to keep his face in shadow. There were two people in the room, both of whom Zhane recognized. He stayed close to the door, taking a seat at a dusty table and listening to their conversation.

"You think it's true, Adele?" the man with black hair asked as he took a sip from his fruity drink. "The rumors?"

"Well, obviously they are, Skull. Ninety-five percent of this town has been rounded up. You and I have only avoided capture this far because we're good at hiding and we know a lot of hiding places. But it's going to catch up with us. The Power Rangers are dead. If they weren't, they've had ample time to come and save us. Remember when Astronema was going to kill all of us? They stepped up and fought for us. Now they're nowhere to be found. I believe what that computer virus, Venji or whatever, said. The Rangers are dead and we're all the hope that's left for humanity." Adele slammed her glass on the counter and then looked around, as if fearing that someone might have heard and would be coming.

"Yeah, but what about the other rumor? The one about that city being built on the coast, Corinth? I hear it's going to have shields and walls and everything. You think we should try and make it there?" Skull leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together behind his head.

"Yeah, ok. Let's go travel hundreds of miles to some city where we can get captured just as easily as we can here. Good plan." Adele rolled her eyes.

Zhane was just raising his hand to push back his hood – he didn't care what Flynn and Casey said about keeping their silence and not interfering – when the door burst open and robots began pouring in. Zhane had never seen these enemies before though he had heard their description from Flynn, who had apparently fought their kind before. They were Grinders.

He threw himself on the floor, hoping and praying they wouldn't see him, lying as still as he could. From his vantage point, he could still see as Adele and Skull were grabbed and pushed towards the door. Skull broke away from his captors for a second and ran towards the door. His hand was outstretched and almost on the doorknob when a flaming shot hit in the back and threw him into the wall. He crashed to the ground and lay unmoving as the Grinders hustled Adele out into the night.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Zhane got to his feet and jogged over to kneel beside Skull. Laying his finger on the guy's neck, he searched for some sign that the poor young man was still alive. There was none. With great reverence, Zhane turned Skull over and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, man. I wish you could know that we're not dead and that we want more than anything to help you, to help everyone. But we can't. We just can't." Zhane's voice caught in his throat and he cut his sentence off. In one fluid motion, he jumped up and ran out of the Surf Stop, heading back for his Silver Cycle and away from his failure.

* * *

Ryan hadn't found anyone he knew in Mariner Bay. In fact, the city seemed pretty deserted. Shops were abandoned, buildings had the windows broken and cracked and not a soul moved in the streets.

"I guess everyone has already been rounded up from here." He muttered to himself as he walked the main road.

"Not quite everyone." A female voice said quietly from the mouth of an alley a few steps to the side. Ryan stopped in his tracks and looked into the alley – he knew that voice.

"Ms. Fairweather?" he asked incredulously. The woman stepped from the shadows and he could see that it was, indeed, Ms. Fairweather. She looked as if she had been living off the streets for a long time.

"Hello, Ryan. Long time no see." Ms. Fairweather began walking down the street and Ryan fell into step beside her. "What are you doing back here? You're supposed to be dead." Her tone was so cynical, Ryan felt he had to say something, apologize for something.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. F. There was nothing I could do to save Joel. And then we tried to contact you for the memorial but no one knew where you were. And now this…how have you survived the roundups? Why are you still in the city? Why aren't you with my father?" Ryan turned his face towards her but kept walking in the same direction.

"I keep out of sight. I was with Marina when she was killed. Your father disappeared without a trace. There was nothing I could do for her. It's hard. But anyway, you're here now. When are you going to get around to saving the world?" Ms. Fairweather's tone was clipped now and Ryan realized she had become a master at hiding her emotions and feelings.

He shook his head sadly and didn't let himself wonder where his father had gone. He knew that, with the charges that had been left in Captain Mitchell's care, his father had a plan to stay free and alive. "I'm not. We can't interfere; things have to happen the way they did already. The RPM Rangers will rise out of the ashes of humanity and save the remnants. We will be there to fight that fight but we can't do anything until then. And so no matter how much I want to, I can't." A sudden thought struck him. "You could come with me. I'm sure we could use someone of your expertise in the future. Please? It's gotta be safer than staying here."

Ms. Fairweather smiled. "I'm afraid that's not possible. I'm staying here. There's no place for me anywhere else. If it's my fate to be captured or to be killed then so be it. You wait and you fight. As for me, well, I'll take my chances." She didn't even give him a chance to respond, just melted away into the darkness. He stared after her for a moment before turning and heading back the way he'd come.

* * *

Hunter wore a nondescript motocross jacket with no emblem and a baseball cap pulled low over his face. As he walked into Storm Chargers, his one goal was not to be seen. He simply had to know if Kelly was still there. He pulled the door closed behind him and walked past the rows of bikes, promising himself that he was just there to look, not to call attention to himself.

A layer of dust covered everything. He ran his finger along a surfboard and was surprised at the amount of grime that came away. There was a small knot of fear forming in his stomach; Kelly would never let the place get like this.

He walked slowly towards the counter. A putrid smell wafted towards his nose and his stomach heaved, threatening to throw up everything he had had to eat that day. Through sheer force of will, he held it in.

The source of the smell was identified as soon as he leaned over the counter. Kelly, his boss and friend, lay dead on the floor, her throat cut.

"Oh, Kelly," Hunter whispered. He stared at her face, noticing that it appeared to have been decomposing for some time. "First Blake, then Lily, then Tori and now this?"

There was nothing more for him in Blue Bay Harbor. Turning, he sprinted out the door and down the street to his Glider, heading back for base as fast as he could, trying to outdistance the memories.

* * *

Kira and Xander entered Briarwood cautiously. Reefside had been completely empty and so they hadn't spent much time there. Instead, they had traveled quickly to Briarwood and approached the Rock Porium with great trepidation. As they got closer, they could hear voices inside – three, to be exact.

"They'll come, LeeLee! Don't believe everything you hear." Nikki's voice was loud and heated.

"Mom, they're dead. You think Nick and Xander, Chip and Vida and Maddy would let us stay in constant fear this long? No! They'd have come and dealt with these Grinder things at the first sign of trouble. They're dead. Tell her, Toby." Nikki's daughter, LeeLee, sounded defiant as Xander and Kira crept closer.

"I think she's right, Nikki. They're not coming. We're on our own now." Toby was defeated, they could tell that much from his voice. "We need to stick together."

"No. I'm going out to find those Power Rangers if it's the last thing I do!" Nikki cried and the door swung open. The woman stormed out, anger written all over her face. She didn't get more than five feet from the music store when ten Grinders jumped her, grabbing her and carrying her off. All she managed to get out was one scream that brought Toby and LeeLee running, only to be captured themselves.

Xander growled and half stood up before Kira pulled him back down beside her. "We do nothing, remember?" she hissed. "We watch and we remember. We do nothing."

Xander sank back down beside her and buried his face in his hands. "But how? How can we sit back and not help them? We're Power Rangers, Kir. It's our sworn duty to protect them. When are we going to fight back? When are we going to do what we're supposed to?"

"Soon. Don't worry, my friend. We'll get them all back."

**Author's Note: So what did you think? Sorry this chapter took me a bit longer than I thought it would because of school starting back…please read and review! Did you notice that Zhane is alive? For information on this, see the chapter where he originally died. I had to fix something and I did it by reviving him. I liked him a lot anyway. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please read and Review!!!**


	16. New Beginning

Kira knew that it was time. Harsh pains were contracting her stomach every few minutes and she screamed, unable to contain the pain anymore. She was alone in the small back room of their hideout but Casey and Xander were in the front room and they came running, their faces ashen, Casey with his pipe weapon in his hand.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Casey asked, sweeping the room for danger. Xander dropped to his knees beside Kira's bed.

"The baby's coming, Case. You gotta help me. I can't do it by myself. Xander, help me." Kira cried out again as the pain washed through her. She groped around blindly and grabbed Xander's hand, eliciting a grunt from the man as she squeezed his hand in a death grip.

Casey blanked. "I don't know anything about giving birth! You need a doctor!" He hesitated for a second and then looked at Xander. "I know where there's a doctor. I'll be back in five minutes." He turned to head for the door but Xander's quiet voice stopped him.

"You know the rule, Case. Don't break it – for anyone."

The red Ranger nodded and disappeared from the room.

* **Three Hours Later***

Casey walked towards the front of their hideout with a small, slight man in a white lab coat. The faint cries of a baby could be heard from the back room of their safe house. Casey patted the man on the back and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Doctor. I know there's no way we could have done this without you." Casey's voice was warm but then, it changed, became tinged with a hint of malice. "You do remember what you swore, right, Doctor?"

The man nodded vigorously. "I know. I won't tell anyone who I saw or what I saw or where I saw what I didn't see. Don't worry, Mr. Rhodes, your secret is safe with me. I only hope that little girl will be safe until you guys are ready to come out of hiding."

Casey laughed and patted the man on the shoulder. "Don't worry about that, Doctor. That little girl's going to have six uncles to dote on her. I think she'll be fine. But thanks. For everything."

Before the doctor left, he pressed several little bottles and a small cloth bag into Casey's hands. Casey stared at it in confusion. "Just some things you might need for her. In the bag are some jars of baby food and some formula. A thermometer. And the bottles contain children's medicine – though be careful how you use it. I wish you all the luck, friend." And with that, the doctor turned and disappeared out the door.

Mere moments after he'd left, four other men came in. Hunter and Flynn carried long pipes with them; Zhane and Ryan carried pistols. All four looked questioningly at Casey. Hunter was the first one to bring up what was on all of their minds. "Casey? Was that man leaving from here?"

Casey nodded. "That was the doctor who delivered Kira's baby. A girl, by the way. She's cute." He turned and walked back towards Kira's room, the other four tromping after him.

Kira lay on the bed, holding her baby in her arms. Xander was standing against the wall. Hunter, Ryan, Flynn and Zhane crowded around the bed, all exclaiming about the cute baby. Ryan looked at Kira.

"So, what's her name?" he asked, stretching out a finger to run over the baby's head. A warm glow was in his eye, a glow that hadn't been seen since the loss of his other eye four months ago. Hunter echoed his question.

Kira thought for a minute. "She's a baby born in hiding. Born when I wasn't even supposed to survive to give birth to her. So I named her after my best friend and for hope. Connor Hope."

* **One Year Later ***

Hunter and Zhane were just returning from the last patrol of the day. As soon as Hunter entered the hideout, he went straight to the little girl sitting on the floor.

"Hey, Connor, it's your Uncle Hunter. Miss me?" The little girl giggled and reached up her arms to Hunter. He swept her into his arms and handed her a small purple rock. "Look, kiddo, what I found you. Pretty rock."

Connor cooed and took the rock, nearly dropping it. Hunter laughed and carried her to the table where Casey, Flynn, Xander, Zhane, Kira and Ryan were sitting, staring at their meager food supplies.

"We don't have enough." Casey pronounced. His lips turned downward into a frown. "Supplies have been running low lately and, without money and without resources, we haven't been able to get any more. And there's no more berries and edible plant stuff left in Ocean Bluff. Everything that was left in the grocery stores was taken by Venjix's armies. This, my friends, is all that's left."

Zhane picked up a hunk of cheese and set it down. He ran his fingers over a pack of ham and a bag of chips. Ryan flicked his finger against the only two-liter bottle of apple juice. Flynn looked sadly at a pack of two pop-tarts.

"This won't feed all of us, you know." Kira pointed out quietly. "At least not and make any of us full. Not even a little bit."

Hunter looked at Connor in his arms. Then down at the food, or lack thereof. "I'm not hungry. Connor can have mine."

Zhane was quick to second him. "Yeah, and mine. She needs it more than I do."

Flynn was nodding as Casey held up his hand. "Hang on. I'll ration it out so that everyone gets something." He took the cheese and tore it into four small chunks, handing two to Connor, one to Kira and one to Xander. Then he ripped open the small bag of chips and portioned them out into four tiny piles. He gave one pile to Ryan, one pile to Flynn, one to Hunter and one to Zhane. Then he poured a cop of apple juice for each of them. Finally, he took the pop-tart and gave one whole one to Connor. He divided the other pop-tart into four chunks and laid them in the middle of the table.

"Okay. You guys decide who gets the pop-tart. I'm going to see if I can find something else in the city." Casey backed away from the table.

Xander forced Kira to take one of the chunks of pop-tart. Then, by unspoken agreement, the other three chunks were put into a baggie for Connor to have later. Flynn looked up at Casey, confusion on his face. "Casey, what about you? Aren't you going to eat something?"

Casey shrugged. "I had a chunk of cheese earlier. I'll be fine. You guys enjoy. I'll be back later."

He headed for the door but Kira followed him and grabbed his shoulder once he was out of the house they were hiding in. Casey spun to face her.

"You know you didn't have any cheese earlier. And you didn't eat yesterday when our supplies weren't that much better off. Just because you're the leader, doesn't mean you don't have to take care of yourself. All you guys are so worried about me and Connor, you're not taking care of yourself. We're fine. We'll be fine, even if we don't get as much to eat. So stop starving yourself."

Casey laughed. "Starving myself? I'm not starving myself. And, Kira, let me let you in on a secret. That little girl is all the hope we have in this god-forsaken city. If we have to die, we'll die to keep her healthy. So don't tell me what I can't do. I know what I'm doing." And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving Kira staring after him, wondering if there was anything she could do to make him and the others eat.

* **Two years later** *

It was nighttime in Corinth City and the Rangers were trying to get some sleep. But it wasn't easy. Hunter was on watch duty that night, his stolen pistol lying on his lap and a pipe beside his chair. Ever since Connor had turned three, they had made sure to always have someone awake and on watch, just in case they should be attacked. And just in case Connor decided to wake up and try to sneak away, as she had done on more than one occasion.

Tonight, Connor wanted a story. And another and another and another. Long after everyone else had gone to sleep, she wanted Hunter to tell her story after story.

"…and so the little bunny went home to its Mommy and they lived happily ever after. The end." Hunter looked down at the dark-haired girl in his lap. She was wearing an old pair of blue jean shorts and a yellow shirt that Casey had gotten from a family down the road in Corinth City. Casey hadn't had to worry about being recognized here, in Corinth City. He didn't look anything like he had three years ago. None of them did. All of them were skinny and gaunt. All except Connor. "You have to go to bed now, Con. It's nighttime." She shook her head.

"No, Hunter, 'nother story, peas! I not tired!" Connor grinned up at him and Hunter almost melted. But no, he refused to let himself cave in. It was already eleven o'clock. She had to go to bed.

"No, Connor. It's bedtime. Time to get in bed." He stood and carried Connor to her bed. The hideout they were in was nicer than the others they'd had. This one was furnished, meaning the guys could have beds for the first time in three years. "And don't get back up," he warned the girl, wagging his finger at her. She giggled as he returned to his post.

Five minutes later, he looked over to see her fast asleep, her thumb in her mouth. Hunter smiled. She truly was a blessing, that girl. And now, now that the RPM Rangers were fighting in Corinth City, he knew that it was only a matter of time before they would fight again and win a better life for Connor. And for them all.


	17. Moment of Truth

"It's here. It's time. We need to go _now_." Flynn paced around the edges of the room. He stopped and glanced at each one of his fellow Rangers in turn.

Casey sat backwards in a wooden chair, his chin resting on his hands. He met Flynn's gaze and frowned thoughtfully. Hunter and Zhane sat on the floor by the wall, talking quietly. When Flynn's look landed on them, they quieted and looked at him guiltily, like schoolboys caught goofing off. Ryan stood by himself on the far side of the room, running his finger over the spines of books on the shelf, stormy expression on his face. The Titanium Ranger didn't talk much nowadays; he seemed to have a volcano of angst and smoldering fury lying dormant inside of him, simply waiting to erupt. And Kira and Xander lounged on the one couch in the room, her head in his lap. They returned Flynn's glances steadily.

"Now? We've been in hiding for three and a half years. We've watched every city become desolate, every town deserted. Ocean Bluff, Blue Bay Harbor, Mariner Bay, Angel Grove…all of them. And we've stayed hidden in Corinth City, even when Grinders breached the city walls. We stayed away as Scott, you and Summer took up the Power Ranger mantle. And we watched as Dillon and Ziggy arrived. Even then we didn't move. And now you're telling us we can finally do our job?" Casey asked. The waiting had rankled him the most – he had insisted on keeping an eye on Fran, Lewin and Josh. Because of this, Casey had been chomping at the bit to do something and free his friends.

"Yes. Venjix, Tenaya 15 and his army of Grinders and Attack Bots are rampaging through the city. Scott is dead and the rest of us RPM Rangers returned two weeks ago. I can't know for sure without going to the lab but I think everyone but me has vanished, if I remember correctly. Dr. K should have already sent me back to the Great Battle and now Corinth City is undefended. It's our time now, time to defend the people of Earth. So let's go!" Flynn spread his arms wide.

Hunter smacked his fist against his palm. "Well, what are we waiting for? Sounds like its butt-kicking time. All of us, right now. We kick Venjix while his pants are down. He's expecting the RPM Rangers, right? So we attack with Thunder, with the Tiger and Titanium Power, with magic and the might of the Pterodactyl. He won't know what hit him!!" his voice rose in excitement and there was a fire in his eyes that hadn't been seen in a while.

"I'm with Hunter. Venjix thinks we're dead. He thinks the RPM Rangers were lost in the past. He thinks he's won!" Zhane crowed, raking his fingers through his hair. "It's a golden opportunity."

Everyone looked at Casey. He hadn't asked to be the leader but he had been thrust into the spot anyway. Perhaps it was simply because he wore red or because he was the only one who had led a previous team. Maybe it was his soft-spoken style or maybe the very fact that he did not ask for the role of leader. Whatever the reason, he had been made the one in charge. And now six Rangers waited for him to make a decision.

"This Dr. K you've told us about," Casey looked at Flynn, speaking quietly as if for the Scot's ears only, though all were listening, "She could help us, right? Give us weapons or transportation or at least advice? Would it be a good idea to go there first?"

Flynn frowned. "Yes, probably. I don't know how much weaponry she could give us because most of it was probably vanished. But we could get transportation and my weapons – maybe Scott's. And Dr. K could give us access to Colonel Truman and Corinth's defenses. We'll run into her at some point; it's probably a good idea to go ahead and talk to her now. I can take us there."

Casey hesitated. He'd kept his people alive for nearly four years by staying hidden. He'd gotten them free of Grinder patrols, Grinder attacks and roundups. Now it was time to leave their hiding place and he couldn't be sure no one else would die on his watch. But he had no choice. Slowly, he nodded. "Lead the way." He looked at each Ranger in turn. "We do nothing until we meet with this Dr. K, understand? I don't care what you see or hear or whatever. I don't care if you think there's no way you could lose – we do not engage. We. Do. Not. Engage. Is that clear?" His glare skewered each Ranger, and, after a slight pause, they all nodded. "No one morphs unless I say so. Ok? Let's go."

They left the building they were hiding in under cover of darkness. Flynn and Casey walked in the front, both carrying short pipes that they would use as bludgeons if attacked. Kira, Hunter and Zhane followed them, Hunter carrying Connor on his shoulders, while Xander and Ryan brought up the rear, similarly armed.

Flynn took as many shortcuts and as many back alleys as he could, holding his pipe diagonally across his chest. His steps were long and hurried; he was taking no chances. The group ducked into shadows and warehouses at the first sign of danger, the first sounds. Grinders were rare in Corinth City but there were many cutthroats and thieves in the streets, some working for the Cartels and some not. All of them attacked to kill. Every time they slipped out of sight, Zhane and Xander took up positions in front of Hunter. There was no doubt that if they had to die to keep Connor safe, they would do it. Any of them would.

Finally, they arrived at the Garage doors. Flynn was able to get them open and he led them inside. "Stay close," he cautioned, "Dr. K has lots of cameras and she knows we're here. She's never met any of you and I don't look the same as I did three years ago so she may not recognize me. So-"

A sudden clicking sound interrupted him. The Rangers fell into fighting stances as large guns came out of the walls, pointed at them, all armed and ready to fire. A girl in a white lab coat appeared in a doorway and she walked within five paces of the Rangers, then stopped and squinted.

"Who are you? How did you get in here? No one can get in here without authorization or my permission. What creatures of Venjix are you? Speak before I shoot!"

"We are no creatures of Venjix!" Ryan shouted heatedly. "We are Power Rangers!"

"Power Rangers?" Dr. K asked disbelievingly. "Power Rangers?" Her voice turned bitter and her expression closed off. "What kind of fools or jerks are you? The Power Rangers are dead. Every one of them. Scott, Gem, Gemma, Dillon," her voice broke, "Ziggy, all gone. Flynn asked me to send him back to the past. I did and now he's dead. I sent him to his death, you know. I knew Venjix wiped out the Rangers, I knew they all died in a great battle and I knew that if I sent Flynn back there he would die. But I did it anyway. I did it." And she dropped to her knees, her shoulders shaking.

Flynn took a half step forward so that his face was thrown into sharp relief. "Dr. K? Dr. K, it's me, Flynn. I'm not dead. I'm alive. You didn't kill me. Dr. K?"

Slowly, her head rose and she stared at Flynn's face. Then, abruptly, she threw her hands over her face and shook her head from side to side. "No, no, that's impossible. I know he died, I know! And you don't look anything like him! You're too old."

He smiled and walked towards her, hands spread out in a peaceful gesture. "It's been nearly four years, Doc, but it's still me. Voiceprint me if you don't believe it."

Dr. K stood and moved to a computer, keeping her finger on a box that Flynn assumed was the link to the guns. He knew that if she felt threatened by them, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot them. She pressed a sequence of keys on the computer and a voice boomed from nowhere.

"Voiceprint Analysis of Flynn McAllistar, Ranger Series Blue, begun."

"This is Flynn McAllistar, Ranger Series Blue, confirm voiceprint."

"Voiceprint accuracy 98%. Welcome to RPM Base, Ranger Series Blue."

Dr. K lowered her hands and walked towards Flynn as he left Casey and his fellow Rangers to walk towards her. "Flynn?" she whispered. "But, how? How are you here and not dead? Are the others with you?"

He shook her head and gave her a hug as he reached her. "I couldn't save them, Doc. They were gone before I made it back. But, it was a good thing for you to send me back. I was able to warn the other Rangers of the great battle you said was coming. I was unable to save everyone but we didn't all die. And now we're here to take over for the RPM Rangers and we want to know what help you can give us."

"The biosuits are gone, except for yours and Scott's. I can't use Summer's weapons or Gem's or Gemma's or even Ziggy's or Dillon's. I couldn't get their Zords either but I could get the Lion Hauler. And the Eagle Racer. I don't know how you're going to do it without these weapons and Zords." Dr. K shrugged. "We're sunk, Flynn. Screwed."

"Maybe not." Flynn waved a hand towards the other Rangers. "Dr. K, meet Corinth City's new Ranger team. Guys?"

One at a time, the Rangers stepped forward. Xander was first. "Hi, the name's Xander. I'm the Green Mystic Force Ranger, with the power of the Mystic Minotaur. Happy to help in any way that I can." Xander hadn't changed much in the last three years, at least not outwardly. His hair was a little lighter and he was leaner but he still had the same easy-going smile. Dr. K acknowledged him with a nod.

"Hey, I'm Kira Ford. I was – and will be again, I guess, - the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger. I have the power of the Pterodactyl." Kira's hair stopped at her shoulders now and an old scar traced its way down her arm. She wore baggy clothes, old clothes that might have fit her before the Venjix invasion left them scavenging for food.

Hunter didn't move, just jerked his head slightly. "Hunter Bradley of Ninja Storm. I'm the Crimson Thunder Ranger at your command." Hunter looked almost like a wolf ready to pounce, with his shaggy white-blonde hair hanging in his eyes. The only time his expression lightened was when he looked at the little girl in his arms. "And this is Connor Fernandez. She's Kira's daughter but all of us guys have pretty much adopted her. Say hey, Con."

The little girl smiled slightly and shook her head, her brown ponytail swinging. She buried her face in Hunter's neck and refused to speak. Hunter shrugged and looked at Zhane.

Zhane stepped forward next, raising his hand in an 'I'm here' gesture. "Hi. I'm Zhane, an alien from KO-35, you probably haven't heard of it, but it's a cool place." He sobered and his smile slid off his face. "I haven't been there in a while, not since the beginning of the Venjix invasion, since NASADA spaceport was destroyed. But anyway. I'm the Silver Space Ranger. Here to serve." Zhane hadn't changed much over the three years either; he had just gained a new watchfulness. His eyes darted here and there, his hand resting on the butt of a gun holstered at his hip.

Ryan stepped forward just far enough for his face to be out of the shadows. Dr. K gasped. Ryan's mouth twisted into a facsimile of a smile – the long, puckered scar that ran from the corner of his mouth under his eye patch and across his forehead prevented him from forming a real smile. He laughed shortly at her reaction. "Like my scar?" His voice was cynical, bitter. That was what had changed the most about him – he saw only the negative now, except for rare moments of levity. "A Grinder gave me that. Well, a Grinder and an Attack Bot. I was trying to save my friend's wife. Joel had been killed by that Overlord we fought and I promised myself I would keep an eye on his wife, Angela. Ms. Fairweather. She wouldn't let me near her so I watched from afar. Then they came to round her up. I jumped in to save her but we didn't morph then, did we, Casey? In fact, we gave you all our morphers, didn't we, so we wouldn't, how did you put it, draw attention?" Ryan barked out a short laugh. "And so I lost. They took her and my eye. We were in hiding then, as we have been for three years and we didn't have access to a doctor. So It healed but there was nothing to be done for the eye. Now I'm blind in my right eye. Oh, but don't worry about whether I'll be a disadvantage to the team – I can still see well enough to fight. And I am a Ranger, Doctor," he twisted the title so that it dripped with sarcasm, "the only one left of my team. Titanium Ranger, Lightspeed Rescue." With those words, he stepped back, fading once more into shadow.

"And I'm Casey Rhodes. Red Jungle Fury Ranger, spirit of the Tiger. And I've done my best to keep us alive, even when it meant tough decisions. It hasn't been easy for three years, but we're here. And we're ready to get revenge." Casey also bore a scar on his face, his going from his right cheek across his nose to his left cheek. His hair was cut raggedly and draped across his right eye. His red Pai Zhuq jacket was loose on his bony frame – when food had been scarce, Casey had been the one to go without – and several rips adorned the fabric.

"Of course, you know me, Dr. K." Flynn sported a beard now, dyed black to match his dyed black hair. He hadn't wanted to be recognized in Corinth City. "Well? What do you recommend we do?"

Dr. K didn't speak for a minute. When she did, her tone was awestruck. "You've survived on your own for three years? Even with a little girl? That's awesome. I'm impressed. As to what we do now…I think Venjix should know you're here." Hunter breathed a quiet 'yes!' but Dr. K held up her hand. "But first, I think I should show you around the Garage and we should figure out what weapons can and can't be used. Ok?" She looked at Flynn for approval but he tilted his head at Casey. Dr. K turned to Casey, who nodded his agreement.

Dr. K moved over to Flynn's jeep. "We have in here Flynn's Jeep, Scott's and Dillon's cars and Summer's motorcycle. If any of you have bikes or ATV's or cars, you can park them in here. I have spare keys to the two cars and the bike so we can use them. Now, if you'll follow me into the lab, please."

All seven Rangers followed Dr. K into the lab and over to the biosuit chambers. Red and Blue were the only biosuits left. Dr. K turned to face the Rangers. "As you can tell, I have access only to the red powers and the blue. This allows Flynn to use his weapons and we can also utilize the Street Saber and the Eagle Racer Zord. I can also get the Croc Carrier, the Whale Zord and the Paleozord. Oh, and the Road-Attack Zord as well. Now, let's see…you." She pointed at Kira. "Kira, right? Yes, well, do you have a specialized weapon, something your teammates didn't have?"

Kira looked kind of confused by the question, but said, "Yeah, my Ptera Grips."

"Could you get them for me?"

Kira nodded and a moment later, handed Dr. K the yellow grips. Dr. K looked at them for a moment and nodded. "Yes. These will work. I can modify the Road Blaster to accept Kira's Ptera Grips instead of Summer's Zip Charger. That will allow you to be able to fire the cannon, though it will take some time to make it operational. Now, you go meet Venjix while I get to work."

Hunter set Connor down on the floor. "Dr. K, is it okay if Connor stays here? We sure don't want to take her out on the battlefield with us." Dr. K nodded and so Kira squatted down beside her daughter.

She took little metal toys Flynn had made for Connor out of her pocket and handed them to the girl. "Connor, I need you to do Mommy a favor, ok? I need you to stay here and play until we get back, okay?"

The little girl nodded, completely fascinated by the toys. She'd become accustomed over the years to being in strange places.

The Rangers returned to the Garage and jumped into the cars. Casey and Hunter pulled out in Scott's red sports car. Zhane and Ryan drove Dillon's black car, Kira straddled Summer's motorcycle and Flynn and Xander rode in the Jeep.

Xander looked at Flynn as the Scot drove down the road. "Your Dr. K is kinda young, isn't she? How much does she know?"

"Well, she was able to tap into the biofield and create the RPM suits. So I'd say she's pretty smart." Flynn smiled.

They rode in silence for the rest of the way until they reached the park in the middle of Corinth City, where Venjix and his cronies were. Flynn raised his morpher to his mouth. "Hang here for a sec, guys. I've got an idea." All four vehicles came to a stop and Flynn explained his idea. Once everyone agreed, he ran towards Venjix.

He came to a stop in front of a group of robots. "End of the line, Venjix! Your triumph was short-lived, pal."

Venjix turned towards the sound. "You?! How…but…I…killed you all! All of the Rangers. You're dead!"

Flynn spread his hands wide and grinned. "Do I look dead to you, ya hunk of junk? I don't think so. You didn't kill me and I'm here to bring you down!"

"Just one puny Ranger? I don't know how you escaped my purge but I'll simply kill you now." Venjix took a step towards Flynn when new voices stopped him in his tracks.

"How about two Rangers?" Casey cried as he ran up beside Flynn.

"Or three?" Kira.

"What about four?" Xander.

"You like five Rangers?" Hunter.

"Maybe six? Seven?" Zhane and Ryan.

"No! That's impossible! I killed you! This can't be happening!" Venjix got a grip on his fury and threatened, "No matter. I will still kill you."

"Not likely." Casey pulled out his Overdrive Tracker and glanced to either side of him. "Ready?" Six nods showed him they were. "Overdrive Accelerate, Spirit Unleashed! Overdrive Tiger Ranger!"

"RPM, get in gear! RPM Blue Ranger!"

"Magical Source, Mystic Force! Strong as a tree, Green Mystic Ranger!"

"Dino Thunder, power up, ha! Super Dino Mode! Ptera Ranger!"

"Thunder Storm, Ranger Form, ha! Crimson Thunder Ranger!"

"Let's Rocket! Silver Space Ranger!"

"Lightspeed Rescue! Titanium Ranger!"

For the first time in three years, the Rangers were morphed. And ready to kick butt.

**Author's Note: So what do you think? Please read and review!! Thanks!!!**


	18. Upgrade

"They're back," Spencer whispered from his hiding place inside his restaurant. "After all this time, they're finally back."

The butler hadn't ever given up hope that the Rangers would return. Venjix had spent the better part of yesterday bragging about how he had killed all the Rangers and how he was going to destroy Corinth City now that it was unprotected. But Spencer had kept the faith. Now he stayed behind the doorframe and watched the events unfold.

"Ready to give up, Venjix? You know you can still surrender and we'll just lock you up for all eternity. Your choice." Casey pointed his Drive Defender at the evil robot.

Venjix laughed. "My Psycho Rangers killed all but seven of you. Easy. Now I will kill you just as easily. Grinders! Attack Bots! Get them!" He thrust his hand into the air and all of his minions rushed forward. The Rangers met them halfway with a clanging of swords and sabers.

Ryan was in his element. His loss of vision did not impair him much if at all. He somersaulted over a row of Grinders and, upon landing, ran towards a cluster of three Attack Bots, swinging his Titanium Axe. The first Attack Bot carried a spiked mace and charged directly at Ryan. The other two held curved swords and moved to flank him.

"Come on!" Ryan taunted. "Bring your nuts and your bolts to my axe!" He advanced, his Titanium Axe whistling over his head as he brought it down towards the mace-wielding Attack Bot. The robot dodged but Ryan was anticipating that. Faster than the blink of an eye, Ryan dragged his Axe back around, his muscles bulging through his suit. The slash caught the Attack Bot across the chest and the robot staggered away and fell to its knees. Ryan stepped forward to finish off the Bot but he'd spent too long on the one opponent. Now the other two Attack Bots were moving in and Ryan turned to take both of them on.

Hunter was a one-man army. His Thunder Staff seemed almost to have a mind of its own as it whirled through the air, taking out Grinders by the handful. Unfortunately, for each handful he knocked to the ground, two more took its place. He dove sideways to avoid a blast from a gun and rolled back to his feet. "That all you got?" he shouted as he laid into another group of Grinders.

Flynn and Kira fought back to back. Flynn had his Nitro Sword out and pivoted, slicing towards one of the Attack Bots attacking him. Kira was dodging attacks from two more Attack Bots, each of which was twice her size and each one carried two swords.

"Little help here, Flynn!" Kira shouted as she ducked under two swords whistling over her head. She returned the attack with her Thundermax Saber and wished she could call out the big guns, her Ptera Grips. But Doc K still had those. So she had to make do.

"Kinda busy, Kir!" Flynn scored a one-two-three combo on one of his enemies and the Attack Bot dropped to be replaced by two more. "Bloody hell, where are all these robots coming from?"

"Forget this! Scream coming, Flynn!" Kira backflipped away from her opponents and opened her mouth to scream. Flynn clapped his hands over his ears as a devastating scream erupted from her mouth. The Attack Bots fell back and Flynn waded in, Nitro Sword singing as it struck metal left and right.

Zhane and Xander faced a horde of probably over a hundred and fifty Grinders. So far, they'd cut the numbers of their enemies in half and were still swamped with Grinders.

"This is flippin' ridiculous! How many spare parts does Venjix have lying around?" Zhane dropped another two Grinders with his Silverizer and launched into a roundhouse kick, nailing another of the robots. Five more took their place. One had a sword and managed to land a direct hit on Zhane's faceplate. He fell back a pace and cursed. "We can't keep losing ground, Xan!"

Xander grinned. "Maybe it's time I got back to my roots." He took a step forward, sliding in front of Zhane and raised his morpher. Seconds later, large green roots sprouted out of the ground. Soon, the majority of the Grinders were entangled in the leafy vines. Now the two Rangers faced just about fifty Grinders.

"I like these odds!" Zhane grinned and jumped back into the fray, swinging his gun like a bludgeon and punching every bronze robot he could get to.

Casey fought two Attack Bots and about fifteen Grinders. He slashed in with his Drive Defender and then spun, swinging his Jungle Chucks around into the torso of another Grinder. The two Attack Bots were hanging back for now but Casey knew they were just waiting for the Ginders to wear him down. Then they'd move in and he'd be all the weaker.

Plus, all Casey wanted to do was check up on his fellow Rangers and see how they were doing, make sure they were ok. For more than three years, he'd held himself responsible for their safety and now control was out of his hands. He somersaulted away from the attacking mob and pulled his hands in front of him.

"Call to the beast within, free the tiger!" he shouted and his Spirit Animal burst forth. The tiger swiped at the Grinders with its paws and the robots exploded into individual nuts and bolts. Now the two Attack Bots were all that were left.

Casey stepped forward as his Spirit Animal faded away, his Chucks resting against his shoulder and his Drive Defender held loosely in his other hand. He raised the Defender and used it to beckon the robots forward. "Come on," he shouted, "let's dance."

All over the plaza, the Rangers were holding the upper hand. Robots were falling, sparking, to the ground, none having expected to face the combined might of the Tiger, the Crimson Thunder, the Pterodactyl and more. Ryan dispatched another Attack Bot and moved towards the last one attacking him. The horde of Grinders attacking Hunter was getting smaller and smaller. Kira and Flynn were taking on their last two Attack Bots together. Zhane and Xander finished off the last Grinder and ran to help Ryan and Hunter. And Casey finished off the second Attack Bot with his Shark Sabers, then turned to face Venjix, Tenaya and his two generals.

"Ready to give up, Venjix?" Casey taunted.

"I'm sure we could find you a nice island to be imprisoned on. Because you can't kill the Rangers. You tried and failed. Time to admit defeat." Flynn stated as he and Kira stepped up beside Casey.

Venjix laughed. "I can't kill the Rangers? _I_ can't kill the Rangers? Let me tell you something. I found and brought the Psycho Rangers to life. Then I built a Time Bot and sent the Psychos back to 2007. There they killed all but seven of you. That's a lot of Rangers! Now I've got you off-balance and off-kilter. I can take you down easy – you're not even a unified team. Look at you – none of you are from the same squad! How can you even think you can defeat me? Don't make me laugh."

Now Xander and Hunter joined the line. Ryan and Zhane were still fighting but they had the upper hand and the advantage so no one moved to help them. Instead, Xander, Hunter, Kira, Flynn and Casey squared off with Venjix, Tenaya and the two generals.

Flynn pointed his Nitro Sword at Venjix. "You're wrong, mate. We may not be of the same team, but we _are_ a team. And, as a team, we will take you down. You have one more chance to surrender. Accept and live. Refuse and die. What is your choice?"

Zhane and Ryan finished their fight and came to stand beside Casey. Ryan leaned in close to Casey and whispered, "Why are we giving him a chance to surrender? He's a monster! He doesn't deserve mercy."

"I thought it logical. If he sees reason and surrenders, we avoid more bloodshed. You've heard Flynn's stories of this guy. I'd rather not fight anymore." Casey looked sideways at Ryan and knew the Titanium Ranger wanted to fight, wanted to destroy the one who had destroyed his friends and his sister.

"Well?" Kira shouted. "What's your answer, bolt face?"

"My answer is neither. I have won thus far and I will win the rest!" Venjix backed up a step and waved his arm forward. "Attack!"

Four more Attack Bot generals rushed from the shadows to join the other two and Tenaya 15 as they neared the Rangers.

"I got Tenaya!" Flynn shouted and ran forward to meet the girl.

The other six Rangers engaged the robots. They split up into one on one and soon, to an observer, it would appear there was an intricate dance going on in the plaza. Casey somersaulted over Zhane and dropped in behind a robot, slashing his Drive Defender across its back. The robot cried out and turned its bulky gray body to face Casey, bringing its mace up in a diagonal slash at Casey's body. He leaned back, allowing the weapon to pass by within an inch of his chest. Then he attacked, falling into a battle frenzy that had him thrusting and stabbing and had the Attack Bot on the defensive.

Ryan's eye had started giving him the usual problems – itching and of course, completely dark. Over time, he'd compensated for his loss of vision and learned to deal with the itching but it still irritated him. Now, though, he channeled the irritation into fury at what Venjix and his minions had done and attacked his opponent with all the strength he could muster.

"End of the line, pal." He mocked as he swung his Titanium Axe again and again.

The Attack Bot matched Ryan's every swing. It fought with two short swords and a skill that Ryan could barely meet. With a fierce grunt, Ryan doubled his efforts, his attacks more and more brutal. His enemy fell back a step and Ryan pressed forward, determined to keep the advantage.

Kira and Xander fought back to back. Zhane battled just a few feet from them. All three were focused on a single goal – winning. And they were winning, each one scoring hits that pushed their Attack Bots back and back. Finally, Kira hit her attacker with a one-two-three combo and he exploded into a gazillion pieces. Then she turned to help Xander.

Flynn was fighting defensively. He knew Tenaya was Dillon's sister and he wasn't about to kill his dead friend's sister. So he used his Nitro Sword only to parry and block her attacks, not to strike back.

"Tenaya! You are not a robot!" he shouted, pulling his sword up to protect his face from her downward slash. "You are a human! You're Dillon's sister, remember!"

"I am Tenaya 15. I serve Venjix. You will die." Tenaya pressed forward and doubled her attack, forcing Flynn to backpedal and retreat before her.

Then, Casey was beside him, swinging his Jungle Chucks with all the power he could muster. Tenaya was caught off-guard and Casey's blow struck her across the head. She stumbled sideways and he followed, bringing his Chucks around for another attack.

"NO!! Stop!" Flynn shouted. He leapt forward and grabbed Casey's arm, pulling it back before the blow landed . The Chucks swung around in a circle and slammed into Flynn's side, but he ignored the sudden pain, focusing on getting Casey's attention.

Casey jerked around to stare at Flynn. "Are you insane? She is the enemy, McAllistar! She and her master are responsible for the deaths of countless Rangers and regular people! She. Has. To. Die!!"

"She can't die. She's Dillon's sister. I couldn't save him or Summer or any of the others but I _can_ save her. We've just got to capture her and get her to Dr. K. Will you help me?" Flynn threw a pleading look at Casey.

Casey blocked a shot from Tenaya and nodded curtly. "Let's take her in." Then he whirled into a roundhouse kick – back-handspring combo where his feet nailed Tenaya in the chest. She stumbled back a few paces before regaining her footing and lunging forward. Her gun tracked back and forth, firing rapidly, bam, bam, bam. Flynn threw himself forwards onto the ground and rolled. The lasers raced by overhead as Flynn came to his feet and whirled, triggering a round of fire from his Turbo Cannon before he even completed his turn. Casey ducked in time but Tenaya, who had been facing Casey and not Flynn, about to attack the Red Ranger, was caught in the back by a round of blasterfire.

She screamed and pitched forwards, her back badly scarred. For several long minutes, Flynn and Casey stared at her body, waiting to see if she would move. She didn't so Flynn approached her cautiously. He prodded her with his foot – no response. Flynn glanced at Casey.

"Power down." Flynn's morphing suit faded. As it did so, Casey shifted his stance to be more watchful, his hands full with his weapons, ready to defend Flynn if someone tried to attack him while he was unmorphed. Flynn moved quickly, undoing his belt, pulling it free of his pants. He knelt down beside Tenaya and tied her hands together with the frayed, worn strip of leather. Then he stood and turned to Casey. "That should hold her. Let's take care of Venjix."

Flynn and Casey stood opposite of Venjix. Both guys had adopted relaxed poses. Casey's hands were clasped behind his back. All of Flynn's weight rested on his right foot and his arms were crossed. His loose denim button-up blew lightly in the wind.

Venjix shifted nervously. A grin crossed Flynn's face. "You're all alone now, Venjix. No more robots, no more Grinders, no more Attack Bots. Just you and," Flynn paused.

"Me." Kira walked over to stand beside Casey. Her helmet was gone and there was a fire in her eyes that Casey hadn't seen in two years.

"And me." Zhane followed her and stood next to her. He held his Silverizer pointed towards the ground, his grip relaxed.

"Me too." Ryan was right behind Zhane. He clutched his Rescue Blaster in a two-handed grip and tapped his foot impatiently on the ground.

"Me." Xander echoed Kira's reply as he stepped up beside Flynn. The Australian had had a difficult battle – his morphing suit was gone but he held his Mystic Morpher in one hand and his Magi Staff in the other. He looked exhausted but ready to remorph and kick butt.

"Don't forget me." Hunter joined the line beside Xander. Like Kira, his helmet was broken, the faceplate completely blown away. A burn the size of Delaware covered the right side of his face; the extent of the damage couldn't completely be seen because of the rest of the helmet but it looked bad. He also had his hand on his side but there was no weakness other than that in his stance.

"Well, Venjix, looks like this is it. Ready, guys?" Flynn called as he looked left and right. Everyone seemed to know, instinctively, what he meant as morphers were drawn.

"Ready!" came the reply, shouted from six throats.

"RPM, get in gear!" Flynn cried and, after a deafening post-morph explosion, stood clad once more in his skin-tight but not Spandex, biosuit. "Turbo Cannon!"

"Jungle Master Mode!" Casey shouted. A second later, he wore the white and red suit of the Gorilla Master. His claw booster materialized on his hand and he spun on the spot, falling into a crouch as he finished his change. "Spirit of the Tiger, Full Fury! Jungle Master Mode!"

"Super dino mode!" Kira cried. She leapt up high into the air and floated down on wings that appeared on her suit. The spikes on her suit grew slightly longer as she landed, feet apart, Thundermax Saber held in her hand. "Dino Thunder!" Then, in an afterthought, she added, "Really wish I had my Ptera Grips right about now."

"Thunder Staff! Crimson Blaster!" Hunter called and both weapons appeared in his hands. "No power-up for me but these boys ought to be bad enough. Power of Thunder!"

Xander punched in a spell code and raised his morpher to the sky. "Legendary Source, Mystic Force!" The spell activated and bathed Xander in a green light. When it finished, he stood arrayed as a Legend Warrior, Mystic Lion Staff in hand. "Elements of Earth, Green Legend Warrior!"

Ryan spread his feet and twirled his Titanium Laser over his head. "I don't have a power-up either but I'm ready to fight! Lightspeed Rescue, Titanium Ranger!"

Zhane followed him. "Let's take this guy down. Silver Space Ranger!"

Then, as one, they attacked.

**Author's Note: Please read and review. I know this one was longer in coming but I've been busy and I've been working on my Animorphs fanfiction so if you're a fan of Animorphs please hop over to The Line and read it. If you're not a fan of Animorphs than you're missing out. Anyway, did you like this chapter? Hope so. I think Heartbeat's almost done…we'll see. Again, please, please, please read and review. Thanks!**


	19. Last Ditch Effort

It was just Venjix against seven angry Rangers, three of which had power-ups, each of which seemed capable of killing the robot. Flynn and Xander launched themselves at Venjix as the other five held back somewhat, waiting and watching, ready to jump in if needed but assuming that the two Rangers would be enough to take down Venjix.

Flynn fired his Turbo Cannon as he ran but Venjix deflected the shot easily. Xander fired an elemental attack from the Mystic Lion Staff and then leapt at Venjix, aiming a punch at the robot's left side. Then he rolled sideways as Flynn followed up with a snap-kick.

All of a sudden, Venjix pulled a wicked-looking gun from seemingly empty air and fired. From the barrel of the gun spat a plume of red-gold flame. Flynn dove sideways and Xander threw himself to the ground but the fire passed between them, its intended target unaware and unable to get out of the way in time.

The fire splashed full-force into Hunter, threw the Crimson Ranger up into the air and propelled him through the air to crash to the ground a hundred yards from where he'd started. His morphing suit died instantly and he didn't move. There was a moment of hesitation and then Ryan rushed Venjix.

"You flamin' son of a-" he started but didn't get any further before another burst of flames shot out and connected with his chest as well. Ryan was catapulted backwards and slammed into the side of a building, his biosuit disappearing in a flash. He didn't move either.

Venjix began to laugh. "Is that all you have, puny Rangers?" He pivoted on the spot and, when he stopped, held a long, wickedly curved scimitar in his other hand. Then, suddenly, he blurred, moving so fast no one could see him. He reappeared seconds later alongside Kira and slashed sideways, dragging the sharp edge of the blade along her side. The Ptera Ranger screamed as red-hot pain lanced through her body. To her, it felt as if she were a puppet and her strings had been cut. She crumpled to the ground, her morphing suit flickering wildly but not fading. Her fingers scrabbled uselessly in the dust as she tried to get purchase and get back up but it was no use.

Zhane charged then but Venjix laughed and swept backwards with the sword, slicing across Zhane's chest and propelling the Silver Ranger through the air. He slammed into a parked SUV so hard that he made a man-sized dent in the side of it. It almost seemed like he hung there for a moment before he fell limply to the ground.

Now there were just three Rangers left standing. Casey raised his hand to stop Flynn and Xander from rushing Venjix. "This guy won't be taken easily," Casey whispered. "Together."

Flynn nodded and raised his Turbo Cannon. Xander swung his Mystic Lion Staff around in front of him to face Venjix. Casey brought his Claw Booster up in front of his chest. Then, almost as if they were reading each other's minds, they attacked. Flynn triggered off a stream of blasterfire that streamed towards Venjix. Xander's magic almost joined with the individual blaster bolts, casting a green tint over the red. Casey was a beat behind the others, throwing himself forward towards Venjix, his hand raised, the Claw Booster thrusting forward, the claws slashing in at the robot.

But Venjix was ready. He pivoted on one foot, the magic-covered blasts flashing harmlessly by. At the same time, his pivot brought his sword in line with Casey's body. Instead of slicing into the red Tiger Ranger, the robot slammed the flat side of the blade into Casey's chest. The young man felt and his friends heard several things – sounding like bones – break as he was catapulted high, high into the air. Then he plummeted, creating a crater in the ground when he landed. His body convulsed and then lay still.

"Man, Flynn, this bot is good. We can't touch him." Xander fired again and again the blow was deflected.

"Well, I'm not giving up!" Flynn charged, his Turbo Cannon held with barrel pointed towards the ground. He dove past Venjix and rolled to his feet, whirling around and swinging his Turbo Cannon around like a bludgeon. The attack missed and Venjix slapped the broad-side of his sword across Flynn's back, sending the blue Ranger sprawling. Without missing a beat, Venjix turned and fired his gun, sending a wave of flames washing over Flynn and setting him on fire. The RPM Ranger screamed and rolled around in the dust, working to extinguish the flames.

And suddenly, Xander found himself all alone. The other six Rangers were down and he was still standing, though he was under no illusions that this status would last long if he didn't find a way to take Venjix down.

"Oh boy," Xander muttered and side-stepped to his left. Venjix slid left as well, matching him step for step. Xander fired a burst from his Mystic Lion Staff and hurtled forward, hoping to catch Venjix off-guard with the double attack and finally take him down.

He should have known it wouldn't work. Venjix easily dodged Xander' magic bursts and, with a quickness that no one would have thought possible because of his size, smashed his fists into Xander's body in a one-two-three rapid-fire that hit Xander's head, gut and solar plexus. All the air whooshed out of his lungs and he dropped to the ground, hands going instinctively to his stomach.

All seven Rangers were down and out in less than three minutes. Hunter was motionless. Ryan was on his knees but didn't look as if he would be getting any higher than that. Kira was face down in the dust. Zhane was on his feet but leaning against the car, his hands on his knees. Casey had his helmet off and was also on his feet but had his hands clutched tightly around his chest, a pained expression on his face. Flynn's biosuit had died and burns covered his body but he was struggling to his knees as Xander tried to crawl over and ascertain the extent of his friend's damage.

"This…" Casey wheezed. "…ends…here."

Venjix chuckled. "Really, Tiger Ranger? You really think you can defeat me now? You don't think I've planned for this moment? Expected the Ptera Ranger, the Crimson Thunder? Blue RPM Ranger, Silver Space Ranger? Waited and watched as the seven of you hid from my purge? The Titanium Ranger and the Green Mystic Ranger? You seven were to be there at the end, here at the final battle. And now, prepare to meet your end."

"Not so fast, Venjix." A new voice entered the plaza. "Forgetting someone?"

Flynn's head came up and he stared at the person entering the clearing. "Dr. K? What are you doing here? Outside?"

"I came to bring you this, Rangers!" The diminutive Doctor held up a gun and then threw it towards Casey. "Power it with your Animal Spirit, Ranger Series Red and use the Ptera power and Flynn's power to fire it!"

She threw the gun high into the air and Casey lurched forward, managing to just barely grab it. He dropped to his knees, his broken ribs screaming in protest. But he had the gun. Only one problem: Kira was unconscious and Flynn couldn't be expected to help. He couldn't even bring himself to his knees. Casey made a split-second decision. Forcing himself to his feet, entire body shouting in protest, he raised the gun in one hand and brought his other fist in front of his body.

"Call to the beasts within, free the Tiger! Release the gorilla!" Casey knew full-well what he was doing as both of the animal spirits launched from his body. He had never called forth the gorilla before but knew the spirit resided in him, thanks to the Jungle Master Mode.

As the two beasts attacked Venjix with a fury that none of the Rangers had anymore, Casey pulled the trigger on the gun. A red blast burst forth, surrounded by yellow and blue energy. The blast slammed into Venjix's chest and threw the evil robot back but didn't destroy him. Casey focused all of his attention on his two Spirit Animals, knowing that they were this team's only hope.

The gorilla slammed its pile-driver fists into Venjix again and again as the tiger ripped and tore with its teeth. Casey fed more and more of his energy into just keeping the spirit animals fighting. Feeling almost as if he were outside of his body, he saw himself go to his knees, the gun falling from his hands. He watched himself fight to stay upright, hands outstretched towards the two animals. Then, almost as if it were from a dream, he saw other spirit animals rushing to join his. A deep green minotaur, a silvery lynx, a dark gray buffalo and a light blue bear raced past Casey. As one, they joined the fight of the red gorilla and tiger. And that was all Casey saw before everything went black.

* * *

Flynn didn't know what had happened. One second he was thinking about the incredible pain his burns were causing him and trying to fight past the mind-numbing pain to get on his feet and help Casey but there was no way he could do it. The next second, it felt like all of his energy was draining away as a blue grizzly bear erupted from his chest and ran towards where Casey's gorilla and tiger were fading fast. Flynn screamed as all of his reserve power seemed to be sucked from him but he knew that the grizzly bear was only going to help the tiger and the gorilla win the battle against Venjix and save all their lives. And so he focused past the agony in his entire body and concentrated on keeping the bear on its paws and fighting.

* * *

Xander couldn't breathe. The three-pronged attack from Venjix had knocked all the air from his lungs and he couldn't seem to get anymore. He was doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping and choking and it wasn't doing any good. Then he raised his head and saw Casey's tiger and gorilla. He followed the path they must have traveled to get to Venjix and saw Casey staggering, his hands in front of him, feeding all his power to his Spirit Animals and Xander knew he had to do something. So he focused his attention inward, forgetting the fact that he couldn't breathe, praying his body would begin to breathe on its own and focused. Somewhere, Casey had told him, somewhere in him was a Spirit Animal waiting to burst forth. Xander thought he knew what animal it would be. And so he looked and he found it, lying dormant inside him, waiting.

So he copied Casey's call, though quietly, trying to conserve some of the air left in his body. "Call to the beast within, free the Minotaur!" And then he watched as the ghostly green Minotaur raced towards the battle, running alongside a blue grizzly bear. He closed his eyes and concentrated, sending all of his energy to give his Spirit Animal power to fight.

* * *

Zhane needed to help. He needed to do something, after being taken out in the first few minutes of the battle. But what could he do? There were definitely broken bones all throughout his body. He couldn't move his legs, though paralyzed or just numb, he didn't know. It was possible that they were pinned under something but he couldn't turn his neck and head to see that direction. All he could see was Casey, falling, unable to sustain his Spirit Animals for much longer.

He stretched out a hand towards Casey. "Casey!" he shouted, or tried to shout, but all that came out was a hoarse croak. And then, something sprang forth from his hand, something he'd never seen before, something that seemed to grow larger and larger as more and more of Zhane's energy was sapped, something that joined a blue bear and a green _thing_ in running towards Casey's tiger and bear.

It was impossible for Zhane to determine what the silver thing was but somehow, he knew. His favorite animal had always been a lynx and that was what the silver thing was. A lynx, bold and swift of foot. Fleet. It almost seemed to prance alongside the green creature as it swiped at Venjix. Zhane knew he was getting weaker and weaker and didn't know how much more power he could feed into the cat that had come out of his body.

* * *

Ryan had seen the other three Spirit Animals emerge from Flynn, Xander and Zhane. He had seen Casey go to his knees and knew that it was taking all the energy he had to keep his two Spirit Animals in the battle. And he knew that he had to help. He couldn't get himself any higher than onto his knees but he raised his hand towards the battle and cried, "Animal within, attack!" It was the best he could do, he didn't know how one called forth a ghost animal from inside.

But it worked. A huge, dark gray buffalo roared forth from seemingly empty air and charged Venjix, horns lowered. Ryan focused, urging his buffalo to gore Venjix with its wickedly curved horns. Ryan tried again to make it to his feet and fell back into the dust. So he turned all of his attention to the fight, praying that the additional four Spirit Animals would succeed where seven Rangers and two other Spirit Animals had failed.

* * *

The bear lunged in at Venjix and swiped a paw at the huge robot. The lynx leapt at Venjix's head and twisted in midair to bring its claws down in attack. The buffalo swung its head back and forth, horns digging at metal. The minotaur held a large axe and twirled it around its head before slashing downwards at Venjix. The tiger darted around the minotaur and snapped his jaws at Venjix, again and again, trying to get a bite of his opponent. And the gorilla was behind Venjix, punching as hard as it could.

Venjix wasn't going to go down without a fight, however. He spun and moved to attack the Tiger. But, at the last second, his attack changed and he stabbed his sword back, under his arm. The tip impaled itself in the minotaur's chest and it disappeared. No smoke, no explosion, just _poof_ and gone. Then, simultaneously, a scream erupted from Xander as the green Ranger fell to the ground, hands clutching his chest, his scream seeming to go on and on without stopping.

Zhane cast a glance in his friend's direction and then turned back to the battle. He forced himself to stagger a few feet away from the car and managed to stay upright on shaking legs. Then he brought his hands together in front of him and focused all of his attention, every last fiber of his being on giving his lynx power to fight. Sweat poured down his face and all his limbs shook as he transferred all the energy he had to his Spirit Animal.

Flynn saw Zhane stand to his feet. He saw Xander writhing on the ground screaming. He saw Casey, on his knees, shoulders slumped as he gave every last ounce of his spirit to the Tiger and the Gorilla. Flynn turned back to the battle and willed his bear to fight.

The buffalo managed to hook one of its horns into a small space in Venjix's armor and the animal growled, gave a hard yank, and pulled Venjix to the ground. As soon as the robot hit the ground, the lynx pounced and slashed its claws. The tiger roared and attacked. The Gorilla slammed its giant fists into its enemy again and again. The bear was on all fours, using its claws and teeth to tear Venjix apart.

"There will be others!" Venjix screamed and then, so quickly no one saw it coming, he exploded, the blast emitting a shockwave that swept over the Spirit Animals and the Rangers.

The bear, the lynx, the buffalo, the tiger and the gorilla all disappeared in a flash. Casey fell prone the second his Spirit Animals vanished, having no more strength to stay on his knees. Flynn, Zhane and Ryan had only a few seconds to see the explosion erupt and feel the draining of all their energy before the shockwave hit them, knocking them back, knocking them to the ground.

Then there was silence. It seemed like the battle was over. The fight was finished, the enemy defeated. But the question now was whether or not the Rangers had survived. It didn't look good.

As the people of Corinth began to swarm towards the city plaza, Doctor K rushed over to the fallen Rangers. She ran from one body to the next, standing over each one for a second before running to the next. She tried and failed to pick up Casey, to carry him from the plaza. Finally, she dropped to her knees beside Flynn. She grabbed his shoulder and shook him, trying to wake him up. He didn't move, didn't make a sound. Only the rising and falling of his chest let her know that he was alive at all. One side of his face was badly burned and there were burns covering his arms, though they didn't look as bad. But she knew that if she didn't do something for him quickly, he wouldn't make it. None of them would.

Men and women were coming out of the businesses all around the plaza. They were coming out of their hiding places, emerging from alleys and side streets. None of them were coming closer to the combat zone than the sidewalk. Not one seemed interested or seemed to care whether or not the Rangers survived.

Dr. K looked up at them, moved her gaze from one observer to the next. All hope seemed to leave her and she cried, "Please, help me! They're, they're not dead! They need help! Please, please, help me! Help them – they would have died for you!"

For a long moment, there was no reply. Then, someone spoke out. But it wasn't the words they said that surprised Doctor K, but rather the voice that said them. A voice she recognized.

"After all they have done for us? Count me in, Doc. I'll help."

**Author's Note: Well, that's the end of the big battle scene. I went back to a method I used in **_**Sacrifice**_** with the Spirit Animals and just did what I wanted with them. So it might not be canon to you but I like it. So there. Haha. Anyway, here's a heads-up for you guys. The story will now end two different ways. I couldn't decide how I wanted to end it so I will write both endings and post them both for you. If you have any suggestions for how the story should end, please, when you READ AND REVIEW as I know you're going to do, let me know. Please, though, read and review, as lissa x suee was the only one to review Ch. 17!! Thank you, LISSA X SUEE!!! You're awesome!! Until the next chapter.**


	20. 1st Ending: Connections

_ "After all they have done for us? Count me in, Doc. I'll help."_

The voice was familiar and yet not. Doctor K knew she had heard it at least once before but she couldn't remember if perhaps it was from a video or a speech. And then, the man stepped out of the shadows, throwing his face into sharp relief. At once, Doctor K recognized him from a video message Colonel Truman had shown her a couple of months ago. It had been a video from a man who claimed to have been an influential friend of Power Rangers in years past. In the video, the man begged Truman to send the RPM Rangers to defeat Venjix now, before Venjix could do something to change history. Colonel Truman had refused to believe a man he called an old fool and now look what had happened. But now that old fool was the only one stepping forward to help. Doctor K couldn't remember his name.

The old man reached Flynn's body and slowly knelt beside the doctor. He was wearing a nicely tailored suit and had a slight paunch that made his shirt buttons bulge slightly. The man threw a quick glance at Doctor K and extended his hand. "Spencer. I used to work for Andrew Hartford. Have you heard of him?" Dr. K shook her head. "Oh, well, there will be plenty of time for that later. How are we going to get the seven of them to the hospital?"

The sound of a roaring engine filled the air and a large yellow Hummer-like vehicle burst out of a side street and fishtailed to a stop a few feet from the war zone. Another man jumped from the car and ran to crouch beside Doctor K. His face, too, was familiar but Dr. K was pretty sure she had never seen it before. It was more like she had seen something like it somewhere else…

"Hi there. Captain Bill Mitchell. My son and daughter were Rangers, but they were both killed years ago. I will not let their friends die. We can put them in the Rescue Rover. How many RPM Rangers are there? Seven, right?" The man wore a faded and frayed blue uniform as he looked from Dr. K to Spencer.

"They're not the RPM Rangers but yes, there are seven of them. We can take them to my lab, I'll be able to treat them very effectively from there. Flynn's Jeep should be here as well, you, Spencer," she threw him a set of keys, "go find it and bring it here. We can't get all seven of them in your, what did you call it, Rescue Rover."

Spencer got up and jogged off. Doctor K looked at Captain Mitchell. "We need to hurry. They don't have very long, some of them less than the others. Can you pick Flynn up and carry him to the Rescue Rover?"

Mitchell nodded. Reaching down, he slid one arm under Flynn's neck and the other under his knees. Then, with a groan, he stood, holding the Ranger in his arms. He staggered under the weight and fell back to the ground, unable to carry Flynn's weight by himself, weak as he was. Mitchell lay Flynn back on the ground and looked around at the crowd around him. He stood to his feet.

"What is the matter with you? Did you not see them battling for you? I was not here and yet I know what they would have done for you! Do you know how many have already died fighting to keep you safe? And yet you would stand there, as they lie here, dying, having just saved your pathetic lives? Why do they fight if this is the thanks they are going to get?" Mitchell threw his hands up in the air. "Doesn't matter now. Thanks to your crap, they won't get the chance to fight again, or live again. At least they won't know that those they died to save have sold them out."

His words didn't seem to have an effect at first and then one teenage boy stepped out of the crowd. "They didn't fight in vain, man. We'll help." He trotted over to where Dr. K and Bill Mitchell huddled over Flynn's body and joined them. Two more boys his same age, presumably his friends, followed him. The rest of the crowd stayed where they were.

The first boy looked at Flynn's face. "He saved my little sister, you know. The first day, when everyone was ordered to Corinth City. I thought she was right behind me; my Mom was already in the city. It was my job to make sure Kali got to Corinth City safely and I was determined that nothing would happen to her. But we got separated and when I made it inside the gates she wasn't there. She was still out there. I didn't know what I'd do if she got killed or captured. But then he drove this bus inside the City and she was the first one off. I am not going to let him die."

Bill Mitchell clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Help me get him to the Rescue Rover, then." The boy nodded and moved around to Flynn's feet as the other two boys went to get Xander. Mitchell counted to three and then he and the boy lifted Flynn and carried him carefully to the Rover. They set him in the front seat and then turned to go to the next Ranger. "What's your name?" Mitchell asked as they approached the third Ranger, one who lay up against a building. It was impossible to make out his identity from this distance.

"Jack Pace. You related to a Ranger, you said?" Jack pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and tried to slow his pace so the older man could keep up with him.

"Yes. My son and daughter fought a long time ago, on the Lightspeed Rescue team. But they were both…" his voice trailed off as he finally saw who was lying as if dead on the ground a few feet in front of them. "RYAN!" he screamed, breaking into a run. He dropped to his knees beside his son and felt for a pulse. "Ryan, what…how…how…?" Mitchell looked up at Jack, who had stopped a few feet away. "He's alive! Hurry, we have to get him out of here!" The captain didn't seem to have seen the long scar that crossed half of his son's face.

"I thought you said he died a long time ago." Jack was confused as he moved to crouch beside Ryan's body. The young man's blonde hair was matted with blood and Jack's stomach felt like it was going to throw back up what he'd had for lunch.

"I thought he did. Now, come on. You get his head." Captain Mitchell grabbed his son around the waist and, as Jack lifted the young man by his shoulders, lifted up the lower half of Ryan's body. The walk back to the Rescue Rover was treacherous and slow-going but they made it.

The other two boys who had stepped up were best friends and were making their way towards where Kira lay. Once they reached her, they knelt down and carefully turned her over onto her back. One of the boys rocked back as if he had been punched.

"Dude! Dude, that's Kira Ford! Kira Ford!" he pointed his finger at the girl's face and stared at his friend, who shrugged.

"So? Come on, Charlie. We don't have time for you to pretend you know the Power Rangers."

Charlie smacked his friend on the shoulder. "Man, Sawyer, you don't understand. Kira Ford was one of my mom's best friends! I grew up listening to Kira's music. But, she died like five years ago. Mom said there was some huge battle or something."

Sawyer knelt beside Kira. "Charlie, your mom is Kylee Styles. She's famous but not that famous. How would she know a Power Ranger? Come on. Grab her legs." Sawyer slid one arm under Kira's neck and the other under her back. He looked up at Charlie, waiting for the young man to help him out.

Charlie scowled but did as Sawyer asked. "No, Kira was a singer too, really good. She and my mom did some duet stuff together back in high school. My mom was older than Kira though, and got married before Kira graduated college. But they always stayed friends. This is crazy. She's supposed to be dead."

Sawyer liked to pretend that he was stronger than he was and was staggering slightly under Kira's weight, even though she wasn't that heavy. "Yeah, well, she ain't dead, dude. Now hurry up; I can't hold her much longer."

The two carried Kira to Flynn's Jeep. As they got closer, Sawyer could see a small girl in the front seat. The girl seemed to be looking intently at each Ranger. Finally, she spotted Sawyer, Charlie and Kira.

"MOMMY!!!" she screamed and jumped from the car. She ran to Charlie and pulled on Kira's leg. "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, sumthin's wrong with Hunter, Mommy, Mommy wake up, Mommy!"

Charlie and Sawyer got Kira into the Jeep and then Sawyer knelt down beside the little girl. "It's okay, sweetie, your mommy's just been in an accident. She'll be okay though. Here, why don't you sit here in the front seat and you can watch her, ok?"

Connor looked up at him. "My name's Connor. An' my Mommy is a Power Ranger. So's my Flynn and my Casey and my Ryan and my Zhane and my Hunter and my Xander. But they're all sleepy." The little girl smiled a wavering smile at Sawyer as she climbed into the Jeep to wait.

Spencer and Dr. K were bringing Casey over to the Rescue Rovver. Jack and Captain Mitchell were on their way to Flynn's Jeep with Zhane and so Sawyer and Charlie jogged over to the last Ranger, a young man with shaggy blonde hair. Sawyer came to an abrupt halt when he saw Hunter's face, his own face draining of all color.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, looking curiously at his friend. "Sawyer?"

"This is crazy. First you know that girl and we heard that Captain guy shouting about his son and that RPM Ranger had saved Jack's sister. What is this, _Lost_? Everyone is connected? No way, man. I don't want any part of this, no part at all. Get him yourself." Sawyer was backing away from where Hunter lay, his hands clenched into fists and tapping against his legs.

Charlie stared at Sawyer like he was scaring the crap out of him. "Sawyer ! What the crap is going on? Dude!"

"You don't understand, man. I know this guy. This is Hunter Bradley. He's a Ninja Master or something and could have been big on the moto circuit. His brother, Blake, is huge on the circuit. Their friend, Dustin, also big in motocross. Hunter, though, I know him. I _know_ him."

"You know him? How the heck do you know him? You don't even like motocross! I've heard you talk about how dumb it is! How would you know Hunter Bradley? He's not even a big name, not like his brother, Blake!" Charlie looked down at Hunter. "This is a Power Ranger, man! You don't know a Power Ranger!"

Sawyer laughed shortly. "You know my brother, Josh? Well, after my Dad died, Hunter used to come over and hang out with Josh. And then, when I got older, the three of us would hang out, go to a movie, whatever. Sometimes Blake would join us. This is him, man. We gotta get him help. Josh would never forgive me if he died. Come on."

The two of them managed to heft Hunter and carry him back to Flynn's Jeep. Two rescue ambulances had also shown up and Ryan, Casey and Zhane were loaded into those which then drove off for Dr. K's lab. Hunter was strapped into the Rescue Rover along with Flynn and Xander and Kira were put into the Jeep. Spencer got into the driver's seat of the Jeep as Captain Mitchell and Dr. K got into the Rescue Rover. Dr. K leaned out of the window and tossed something to Jack.

"There's a red car, a motorcycle and a black car just around the corner. They have built-in GPS that will direct you back to my lab. Please drive them to meet us there. Thank you for your help." Then she ducked back inside the car and Captain Mitchell hit the gas, speeding after the rescue vehicles. Spencer followed.

Charlie snatched one of the sets of keys from Jack and jogged down the road and around the corner. There, in the middle of the street, were two cars. One was red, one was black. Jack whooped. "I'm driving a Power Ranger's car!" he shouted and dashed to the red one. Smoothly, he stuck his key in the lock and turned it. Nothing happened. Charlie shouldered past him and stuck his key in the lock. The door opened.

"Sorry, dude. I'm driving this one." He laughed and jumped into the driver's seat as Sawyer straddled Summer's motorcycle. Jack reluctantly got into the black car and the three drivers sped off in the direction that the GPS told them to go.

* * *

When they got to the lab, they saw seven beds in the large room. Six guys and one girl lay motionless on them. The rising and falling of their chests was the only indication that they were alive. Connor sat in a chair beside Kira's bed, her feet dangling above the floor. She had her thumb in her mouth and was rocking slowly back and forth. Jack approached Flynn. He looked at Doctor K as she moved from bed to bed.

"Is he going to be all right?" he asked quietly. The doctor shrugged. "He has to be all right. He has to be."

Captain Mitchell and Spencer moved among the Rangers as well until the wall communicator dinged. Dr. K was too busy to answer it and so the Captain did, hitting the communication button and waiting for the voice on the other end to speak.

"This is Colonel Truman, requesting an update on the Rangers. Doctor K?"

"Doctor K is busy, Colonel. I'm Captain Bill Mitchell of the Lightspeed Rescue program. All seven Rangers are badly hurt. It's touch and go and we could really use some medical doctors down here if you have any to spare. Right now, we can't say for sure that any of them will make it."

"I will send all the medical personnel I can spare, Mr. Mitchell. Please inform Doctor K that we are also in the progress of freeing the prisoners from the camps. If I should find anyone fitting the descriptions she provided, I will send them her way. Also, we found a robot girl tied up near the battle scene. What would she like for us to do with her?"

Mitchell looked at Dr. K, who raised her voice and replied so that the communicator would hear her. "Please have her transported here, Colonel! I'll deal with her when I get the chance. Right now, the Rangers are my priority."

The Colonel ended the transmission and Charlie hesitantly approached Doctor K. "Doctor, is there anything we can do to help? Kira, she's my mom's best friend and my mom would be so sad if anything happened to her. And you heard Jack, Flynn saved his sister. And Hunter and Sawyer's brother were like best friends or something. They can't just die."

Dr. K spared him a quick smile. "They won't die. It's going to take a while but I'll get them healed. If you want, you can hang out here or explore the garage or something, call your mom, whatever you want but just now, I need to work."

Charlie nodded and went back to his friends. "I'm going to call my Mom. You guys need me to call anyone for you?" They both shook their heads and Charlie went to the phone. He punched in his Mom's number and she answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Mom? It's Charlie."

"Charlie? Oh, thank God! I was so worried about you, where have you been? You had me worried sick when you didn't come home from school. If you've been goofing off with Jack and Sawyer again, you're grounded for a week!" Kylee sounded very mad.

"Mom. Listen, me and Jack and Sawyer were on our way home when we ended up at the battle between Venjix and seven Power Rangers. So we watched and then we helped get the Rangers back to Dr. K's lab cause they were all injured pretty badly. And, Mom, one of the Rangers…Kira Ford was fighting. Your friend."

There was a momentary pause and then Charlie's mom gasped. "Kira? Son, are you sure? She died like five years ago, it's impossible!"

"No, Mom, it's her. Listen, we're at Dr. K's lab, I can give you directions if you want to come and wait until she wakes up. She, well, she looks pretty bad but Doctor K seems pretty sure she'll make it. And I think I'm gonna hang out here until the Rangers are okay, just in case they need anything."

"Ok, Charlie, I'll be right there. Kira, alive…I can't believe it." His mom was still muttering to herself as she hung up the phone.

Charlie went back out to where the Rangers lay. Dr. K was working over Flynn now, putting bandages on his burns and smearing some kind of paste on his face. Charlie saw Jack and Sawyer leaning over Casey, working together to wrap bandages around his torso. Captain Mitchell leaned over Ryan, treating his wounds. And Spencer was bringing drinks to everyone. Charlie walked over to Dr. K.

"Excuse me, Dr. K? Is there anything I can do? To help them?" He cast a furtive glance at Kira; he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that his Mom's best friend was actually alive.

Dr. K shook her head. "Their bodily injuries are fairly easy to heal and I'm almost done. Many broken bones, lacerations, burns, open wounds and things like that. And though those are serious and could wind up being fatal if left untreated or treated badly, those injuries are not the issue right now. Kira and Hunter will recover quickly. The other five-" she finished bandaging Flynn's face and moved to Xander to check the extent of his injuries. "-exerted their spirits to win the battle. Casey drained all of his energy sustaining both his Tiger Spirit and the Gorilla. He's trained in the Pai Zhuq Arts, meaning he knows the ins and outs of channeling animal spirits but coupled with his injuries, his spirit is still very weak. The other four, Ryan, Zhane, Xander and Flynn, had no idea what they were doing with their spirit animals and so their energy was zapped pretty quickly. Right now, they're vulnerable. All five of them."

Charlie grabbed Dr. K's arm. "Dr. K! Are they going to be ok?"

She looked at him and then offered him a rare smile. "Yes, Charlie. With rest and good care, they'll be fine."

* * *

Charlie's mom showed up about thirty minutes later and took a seat by Kira's bed and refused to move. Jack called his sister and she came to wait until Flynn woke up. Sawyer got in touch with his brother, Josh, and told him about Hunter. Josh came to the lab as fast as he could and took a watchful seat by Hunter's bed. And then, it seemed like friends of the Rangers were just pouring in from nowhere, all looking like recently freed prisoners – which most of them were.

Fran, Josh and Lewin wore the tattered remains of JKP uniforms. All three were skinny, dirty and emaciated. They sat around Casey's bed and were soon joined by three old men, Masters Swoop, Phant and Finn. Ms. Fairweather wouldn't talk to anyone when she showed up, not even Captain Mitchell. The only thing she did was sit by Ryan's bed and run her fingers along his scar, over and over, muttering to herself. Nikki, LeeLee and Toby set up vigil around Xander's bed. Toby triumphantly pulled out an Ipod that he must have kept hidden all these years. He plugged it into Dr. K's sound system and started playing some music, claiming it would speed the Ranger's recovery. And Adele took up a watchful post at the foot of Zhane's bed, not speaking to anyone, a haunted look in her eye.

Others came and went. A large man in a Hawaiian shirt stopped in for a few minutes but left quickly. Another man calling himself Jerome Stone came in asking for Tommy or Kat but, finding they really were dead, left fairly soon after he had arrived. Two men came in together, one wearing a worn business suit and the other wearing a very frayed white t-shirt and faded black pants. They introduced themselves to Captain Mitchell as a Mr. Collins and Philips, and asked about the Time Force Rangers. When Captain Mitchell told them that the only surviving Rangers were the ones in the room, the man in the business suit became quite agitated and stormed out. Philips remained long enough to apologize, saying that the red Time Force Ranger, Wes, was Mr. Collins' son and he'd been hoping Wes was alive somehow. Then Philips followed his boss out. A young woman came in at some point, asking after the Wild Force Ranger, Danny Delgado. Charlie met her at the door and told her that Danny wasn't one of the seven Rangers who had fought that day. The girl, who introduced herself as Kendall, was visibly shaken but volunteered to stay and help anyway. Dr. K asked her to watch over Hunter. A man wearing a do-rag came in wearing cut-off shorts and a baggy t-shirt. He went straight to Zhane's side and sat down beside Adele. They embraced happily and began to talk. A young blonde woman and a young brown-haired man came in together. They introduced themselves to Spencer as Cassidy and Devin and said they were there to check on Kira. The two took seats beside Kylee and ravenously devoured the snacks Spencer brought them. Cassidy had a beat-up video camera and started to film the Rangers but Devin laid his hand on her arm and whispered to her that that might not be such a good idea. A tall man followed them in a few minutes ago and looked genuinely happy to see Kira, though he asked Captain Mitchell if his son, Trent, was there as well. When she told him that she didn't know any Trent, he began to cry and sat down against the wall. Jack came over and sat next to him and the two began to talk. Another other young woman came in, Clare, and was delighted to see Xander. She tried to work some magic on him, though Dr. K quickly dissuaded her of that.

The friends of the Rangers waited and waited for hours before one of the Rangers woke up.

"Wha-what happened? Where am I?" Hunter struggled to sit up. Josh instantly jumped to his feet and moved to help Hunter. Hunter stared at him, boggled. "Josh? Man, where did you come from? What's going on?"

Almost as if it were a chain reaction, the other Rangers were also waking up. Xander was shocked to see Clare and tried to jump out of bed and give her a big hug. Kira began to cry when she saw her daughter and her old friends Kylee and Cassidy and Devin crowded around her. Flynn listened to Kali tell him how he had saved her life and Jack's story of how he, Charlie and Sawyer had helped to rescue the downed Rangers. Zhane was ecstatic to see Adele and tried again and again to apologize to Bulk for not having been able to rescue Skull. Ryan was locked up in his Dad's embrace as he tried to gain Ms. Fairweather's forgiveness for not being able to save her, a forgiveness she insisted he didn't need.

But one Ranger still had not woken up. Casey lay on his bed, his breathing slow and labored as Fran, Lewin and Josh huddled around him. Fran held one of his hands in hers, pleading with him to please wake up. The three Masters in the room stood against the wall, all looking at a loss. Master Finn was trying to deal with RJ's death as well as worrying about whether or not Casey was ever going to wake up.

Another couple of hours passed, during which Casey didn't move, except for his chest rising and falling. His face slowly gained more color but Dr. K still said that she didn't know if he was going to make it out alive. She said she couldn't do anything more for him because it was just his spirit that didn't have any more energy.

"So there's nothing more you can do for him? He's just going to lie there while we watch and maybe wake up and maybe not and not even because of some wound or cut but because he channeled too much energy into his Spirit Animals which, as everyone knows, is a super crazy way to die only-"

Lewin cut Fran off. "Fran! Breathe! Doctor K didn't say he was going to die. She just said that his spirit doesn't have any more energy. And that might cause him to die but she doesn't know for sure. We just have to keep waiting."

Master Finn stepped forward and fixed Dr. K with a withering stare. "You should have told us this sooner. We can replenish his energy."

Dr. K looked skeptical. "You can replenish his energy? How?"

Masters Phant and Swoop joined Master Finn in standing over Casey. They raised their hands and balled them into fists, holding them in front of their bodies. Master Finn copied their position.

"We can call forth our Animal Spirits to give him energy." Master Phant closed his eyes. "Call to the beast within, release the elephant!"

"Call to the beast within, release the bat!"

"Call to the beast within, free the shark!"

The three Spirit Animals blinked into existence above Casey. As one, the three masters extended their hands towards Casey so that their palms rested just above his chest. The elephant rested its trunk on Casey's forehead. The bat laid one of its wings on his knee and the shark placed its tail on Casey's arm. Abruptly, thin tendrils of energy started to flow from the three Masters and the three Spirit Animals. Casey jerked and jerked again. His eyes flew open and he sat upright, gasping. The three Spirit Animals faded away as the three Masters stepped back from the bed.

Casey looked from Master Phant to Master Swoop to Master Finn. Then his gaze landed on Fran, Lewin and Josh. "Guys! You're okay!" His expression turned suspicious. "Where am I? Did we win? Am I dead? Is anyone dead? Is Connor okay?"

Flynn laughed from a few beds away. "Chill, Case. You're not dead, we won and no one's dead except Venjix and all his stupid robots. And yes, Connor's fine. You're in Doctor K's lab."

Josh started talking, telling Casey all about the years he had spent in the camp. Everyone in the room fell to talking, all thinking about how it was over. All were trying not to think about the ones they'd lost, now that they weren't on the run or in hiding or fighting. But they knew that sooner or later they would have to do something to remember the ones who had died or disappeared.

**Author's Note: Well, here's "Chapter 1" of the first ending. There will be one more chapter to end the story with this chapter. Please, I beg of you, read and review.**

**Thanks to Ms. Fairweather and LissaxSuee for reviewing!!**


	21. 1st Ending: Crystal Wall

**Author's Note: This is the longest chapter I've ever written. There's no action, really, but it's very sweet and there are a few twists I think you'll enjoy. There are some parts where you'll be going, 'Huh, that doesn't fit in with the rest of the story.' I understand. Those things were never intended to be in the story. So my next goal is to go back and change things so everything works. I was just so proud of this chapter I wanted to go ahead and post it. And it's long, yes I know. Skim it if you have to – though I would recommend you read it, it's pretty crazy. And it took me hours to write, just because I had to do research and stuff. I think it's epic. Please, I beg of you, review it. Please. I want to know if you like some of the tidbits I put in there. Thanks for reading!!**

**Another note: Some things in here are not canon with what happened in the real series, especially the stuff with the Jungle Fury Rangers because I killed Theo and RJ before they killed Dai Shi in my story. So some things aren't how they happened in the program. Hope this doesn't make anyone mad!!**

Two weeks had passed before the day of the memorial service finally dawned. All seven of the Rangers were present and nearly half of the population of Corinth City, plus nearly twenty people who had been rescued from work camps. Dr. K was there and Captain Mitchell. The Captain would be conducting the service.

Xander leaned over to Kira. "So are you really ready for this?" Her son, Carson, sat between her and Xander. Connor sat on Flynn's lap a few seats away, playing with his Engine Cell. He turned to look at the front of the large clearing near the city plaza. One casket rested at the front, in front of a stage, to memorialize all the dead. Of course, the casket itself was empty but the sentiment was nice. The seven survivors had planned most of the ceremony, wanting some way to remember their friends and show the world a little glimpse into who had died fighting for them.

Kira smiled sadly. "No, not really. I don't think everyone's going to understand the…ummm…well, the depth of what our friends did for them. And I don't think they're going to care about all of the Rangers. I don't want people to get bored or something; that'll make me think they don't want to be here and they don't care."

Flynn joined the conversation from the other side. "Kir, I think they understand what the other Rangers did. I think they know that they wouldn't be here without their sacrifices." Just then, before he could say anything else, Captain Mitchell took the stage, a sheaf of papers in his hand. He stepped to the microphone and everyone quieted.

"We would like to thank everyone for coming today. This is a time we would like to set aside to remember fallen friends, fallen comrades, fallen heroes. We would like to take just a little time to recognize the sacrifice of each Ranger and memorialize them in some small way. Therefore, I would ask that each one of you please keep all comments or other outbursts until the end of the ceremony."

Captain Mitchell cleared his throat. "First, we would like to recognize Jason Lee Scott." As he spoke, the large man who had come to Dr. K's lab, Ernie, clad now in a button-up Hawaiian print shirt and nice khaki pants, took the stage, a young girl of about seven next to him. The little girl held a red rose in her hand. Casey also mounted the stage from the opposite end, his Drive Defender in hand. "Jason was the original Red Ranger. He was dedicated to the martial arts and to peace, which is why he left the Mighty Morphin' Rangers to attend a World Peace Summit. But when the call to battle came, Jason was always ready to take up the sword again. He willingly took on the powers of the Gold Ranger to aid the Power Rangers Zeo and was a valued member of the Ranger team that took on the Generals of the Machine Empire in the Forever Red mission. Jason and his lifetime love, Kimberly Hart were married in June of 1999, two years after they had been captured by Divatox. They spent five years together, enjoying being a couple before they had two children, twin daughters in 2004. Anna and Carleigh were four when Jason left to go save Kimberly. Two weeks later, Rangers started to vanish and Jason feared the worst would happen. So, he sent Anna and Carleigh with Zhane's children, Jackson and Rachel, to Mirinoi to stay with Leo's brother, Mike." A holographic picture of Jason appeared above the stage, and it revolved there, his visage smiling, as Casey raised the Defender. Captain Mitchell spoke again. "And now, Jason, we honor you for your bravery and for your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." The girl, Carleigh, handed her rose to Ernie and the man stepped up to what looked like a curtain but was actually a crystal wall. He held the rose up in a precise spot against the wall and closed his eyes. Then, Casey slowly and reverently raised his Drive Defender and squeezed off a quick, low-powered shot. Thanks to some techno upgrades from Flynn, when the shot impacted the rose it, red dye splashed across the crystal. The rose petals fell to the ground but the dye dried almost instantly. Then Ernie, Carleigh and Casey returned to their seats and Jason's picture disappeared.

"Next we remember Zack Taylor. Zack was the original Black Ranger. He was a hip-hop dancer and a very good fighter. He loved a good joke and also attended the world peace summit. Zack never shrank back from saving his friends." Xander walked up one set of stairs as Bulk walked up the other, holding a black rose. A picture of the fun-loving Zack Taylor appeared in the air above the stage. "And now, Zack, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Bulk raised the rose and held it against the wall as Xander raised a Nitro Blaster. In one swift move, Xander fired a low-powered shot and black dye spotted the crystal wall. Xander and Bulk returned to their seats as a new hologram appeared in the air.

This one was of an Asian woman with long black hair and a smile on her lips. "Trini Kwan was the original Yellow Ranger. She never wanted to fight unless it was fair and practiced the Mantis style of Kung Fu. I've been told she was very quiet and reserved but could always put up a good fight when she needed to. Along with Zack and Jason, Trini also received an invitation to the peace summit in Switzerland." Captain Mitchell glanced towards the left side of the stage where Kira waited, her Thundermax Saber raised in Laser Mode. At the other end of the stage stood an older woman who had showed up a few days earlier, said her name was Ms. Appleby and that she had known the Power Rangers. She held a yellow rose. Mitchell faced the crowd once more. "And now, Trini, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ms. Appleby held the rose out in a shaking hand and moved it sideways along the wall until it was in the correct spot. Then, Kira loosed one blast from her gun and the rose was gone, replaced by yellow dye on the wall. Kira and Ms. Appleby took their seats and another hologram appeared.

The hologram depicted a brown-haired woman with an easy smile. Captain Mitchell smiled slowly. "Kimberly Hart was a gymnast first and foremost. She was also the original Pink Ranger. Kimberly cared a lot about her friends and never liked to see anyone mess with her friends. She also carried the powers of the Pink Ninja Ranger, the powers of the Crane. When Kim finally left the Rangers, she left to follow her dream of competing in the Pan American Games, in gymnastics. Kimberly married Jason Scott, her childhood sweetheart, in 1999. She gave birth to twins in 2004. Her one desire was to never have to morph again, not wanting to leave her children. Then she was captured by the Overlord. Jason came to her rescue and she made him swear that he would never leave their children orphans. Her love, Jason, was killed fighting the Psychos. Kim was killed soon thereafter." Kira held a Nitro Blaster in a firing position again as Bulk returned to the stage, Anna at his side. This time, he carried a pink rose and held it in front of the wall. "And now, Kimberly, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired and the pink dye joined the red, the black and the yellow. Then Kira, Anna and Bulk returned to their seats.

A new hologram appeared above the stage, this one showing a man's face. The man had brown hair, glasses and freckles. "Billy was perhaps the smartest Ranger ever. He had a genius level IQ and was even capable of command when the situation called for it. He also held the Wolf Power Coin and was the Blue Ninja Ranger. When Master Vile turned all the Power Rangers into children, Billy built a device and restored himself to his original age, then sent all the other Rangers on their Zeo Quests. Billy stayed on with the Power Rangers as an advisor to the Zeo team." Flynn walked up the steps as Ernie walked up the other set of steps. Ernie held a blue rose in front of the wall. "And now, Billy, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Flynn held his Nitro Sword and fired, spraying blue dye onto the crystal. Ernie dropped the stem to the ground and the two took their seats.

The next hologram that showed up above the stage was of a young man with long brown hair and an ear-to-ear grin. "Tommy Oliver. We debated over what picture to show and decided to go with this one, the original. Tommy initially became a Ranger to serve Rita. As the Green Ranger, Tommy fought long and hard against the Power Rangers though he eventually lost his Green Ranger powers. Zordon then gave him the powers of the White Ranger and he fought many missions alongside the Power Rangers. He also used the White Falcon Powers to become the White Ninja Ranger. Master Vile then turned Tommy and the other Rangers into children but, after they found the Zeo Crystal and were restored to their rightful ages, Tommy took up the powers of the Red Zeo Ranger. Tommy also served briefly as the red Turbo Ranger before handing his powers over to TJ. He returned years later to lead the Forever Red mission to Earth's moon. And even then, the power wasn't done with Tommy Oliver. Tommy took a job as a high school science teacher and then trained a new team of Power Rangers. He eventually joined the team as the black Dino Ranger. After the defeat of Mesagog, Tommy returned to being a high school science teacher. And that's where he stayed until he was called to defend Earth again and rescue the female Rangers from the Overlord." Hunter jogged up the stairs onto the stage, his Crimson Blaster in hand. A red-haired woman approached the crystal wall. Kira had been overjoyed when they'd found Hayley in a work camp and now Hayley held a rose with different colored petals, one white, one green, one red and one black. "And now, Tommy, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." As soon as the words left Captain Mitchell's mouth, Hunter raised his gun and fired, sending droplets of red, green, white and black dye spattering onto the wall. Then both took their seats and another picture appeared.

"Rocky DeSantos. He took over the Red Ranger powers from Jason Scott. He was the class clown of the team, always looking to have a good time. When he was in town for a Ninja Competition, he met the Rangers and helped them save a baby. Over time, he helped them out on a few more missions and was eventually selected by Jason to take over for him. Rocky also sported the Red Ninja Powers and, when Master Vile turned back time, found the Blue Zeo Crystal and became the Blue Zeo Ranger. When the time came for the Turbo Rangers to be born, Rocky unfortunately injured his back in a martial arts competition and ended up handing his powers down to Justin." Casey returned to the stage with a man wearing a faded Angel Grove cop's uniform. The man, Lt. Jerome Stone, took a red rose from Captain Mitchell and held it as high as he could, in front of the wall. "And now, Rocky, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey took careful aim with his Drive Defender and fired a single blast that destroyed the flower and left nothing but red dye behind. Then Casey and Lt. Stone resumed their seats.

Captain Mitchell cleared his throat and waited for another picture to appear, this one of a black-haired man. "Adam Park took over the Black Mighty Morphin' Ranger powers from Zack. Adam was shy and quiet but well-trained in Shaolin Kung-Fu. He also fought as the Black Ninja Ranger and, after Master Vile turned the Rangers into children, traveled to Korea to find the Zeo Crystal and take up the mantle of the Green Zeo Ranger. He wore the suit of the green Turbo Ranger for a while before giving his powers to Carlos. After that, he was always willing to do his part, even morphing without a Power Coin once to help his successor. That's just the way Adam was." Xander stepped back up onto the stage as Ernie joined him, holding a black rose. "And now, Adam, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Xander held the Nitro Blaster in a two-handed grip and fired, spraying black dye on the crystal. Then the two left the stage and sat down.

A new hologram appeared, this one depicting a cute, African-American girl with a yellow headband and a broad grin. "Aisha Campbell took over the Yellow Ranger powers from Trini and fought well. Aisha helped the Rangers many times before even becoming a Ranger and was a logical choice to succeed Trini. Then, when Master Vile turned them into children, she traveled to Africa to find the yellow Zeo Crystal. In the end, she decided to remain in Africa to help animals and sent Tanya back in her place." Kira and Ms. Appleby walked onto the stage and Ms. Appleby held up a yellow rose. "And now, Aisha, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired just one shot and yellow dye splattered the crystal wall.

The new picture showed a blonde woman wearing a pink t-shirt. "Katherine Hillard was a lot like Tommy Oliver. She went from Australia to Angel Grove and fell under Rita Repulsa's spell. While under Rita's power, she stole Kim's Power Coin and the Falconzord. In the end, her memories of being good were enough to break the spell and she was Kim's logical choice when Kim left for the Pan America Games. Kat became the pink Power Ranger and then subsequently accepted the powers of the Pink Zeo Ranger. She also fought Divatox for a while as the Pink Turbo Ranger before passing her powers down to Cassie." Kira hadn't left the stage and, as Bulk joined her next to the Crystal wall, holding a pink rose, Kira's grip was shaky as she held her Thundermax Saber in Laser mode. "And now, Kat, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira's shot was short and enough to splash pink dye onto the crystal wall. Then Bulk went back to his seats.

Another picture appeared above the stage and, as everyone else looked at the picture of another African-American girl, Xander looked at the people in the crowd. All of their attention was focused on the stage. Not one looked bored. Captain Mitchell started to speak. "Aisha chose Tanya Sloan to replace her as the Yellow Zeo Ranger. Tanya risked her life many times for the Rangers and even before she was a Ranger, she rescued Aisha from a lion in Africa, probably prompting Aisha to pass her powers to Tanya. Tanya later served as the Yellow Turbo Ranger before handing her powers off to Ashley to carry on the legacy." Kira still hadn't left the stage as Lt. Stone approached the wall with a yellow rose in his hand. He held the rose low, almost crouching, and waited for the shot. "And now, Tanya, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired and yellow dye splashed. Then she and Lt. Stone resumed their seats.

"Theodore J. Jarvis Jr." Captain Mitchell laughed and glanced at the picture of the shaved-head, African-American man revolving just in front of him. "Kind of a mouthful. To his friends, he was TJ. Red Turbo Ranger. TJ originally came to Angel Grove to play professional baseball. Unfortunately, his good heart wouldn't let him leave someone in trouble and he ended up rescuing Tommy and Kat from an attack by Divatox. He was the logical choice when Tommy stepped down and so TJ inherited the Red Turbo Ranger powers. TJ also led the team into space after the Power Chamber was destroyed and fought on the Space team as the Blue Space Ranger. Years later, when the remnants of the Machine Empire threatened Earth, TJ returned as the Red Turbo Ranger on the Forever Red mission." Casey took the steps two at a time as Bulk joined him, holding a red rose. "And now, TJ, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey raised his Drive Defender and shot, disintegrating the flower and leaving just the red dye on the crystal wall. The two walked back to their seats and another hologram appeared, this one of a young man in a green t-shirt and chin-length hair.

"Carlos took the green Zeo powers after Adam gave up the power. Carlos was Angel Grove's star soccer player and proved himself to be a team player over and over again. After the Power Chamber was destroyed, Carlos travelled with the team into space where he became the Black Space Ranger." This time it was Zhane who walked up the steps, holding an Astro Blaster. Adele joined him and extended her arm as far as it would go, holding out a green rose. "And now, Carlos, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Zhane had tears rolling down his face as he fired.

"Ashley Hammond was perhaps the most cheerful person ever. She was a cheerleader at Angel Grove High School and a simple choice when Tanya handed down the Turbo Powers. After the destruction of the Power Chamber, Ashley joined her team in travelling into space, where she became the yellow Space Ranger." Kira took the stage again, holding her gun as Jerome Stone walked up opposite her, holding out a yellow rose. "And now, Ashley, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira blasted the rose and left yellow dye on the crystal wall. Jerome went back to his seat, followed by Kira, who received a strange look from Captain Mitchell, who had clearly expected her to remain on the stage. She gave him a reassuring nod.

This picture that hovered above the stage showed a young woman with long black hair. "Cassie Chan came to Angel Grove to pursue a musical career. She was full of energy and very gutsy. She proved herself worthy of the pink Ranger powers after saving Kat from Piranhatrons and helping TJ save Tommy's life. Cassie also left Earth with the other Turbo Rangers and took up the powers of the pink Space Ranger." Captain Mitchell looked expectantly at Kira but the yellow Ptera Ranger wasn't moving out of her seat. Instead, she nodded her head towards the other side of the room. Zhane and another figure were approaching the stage. Captain Mitchell didn't know the second person, clad in dark armor, but he recognized him from stories. The Phantom Ranger. Ally of the Turbo and Space Rangers. Zhane held the pink flower up in front of the crystal wall as the Phantom Ranger raised his laser blaster. "And now, Cassie, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." The Phantom Ranger fired and the flower burned for a second before the petals fell to the ground, leaving pink dye behind.

Captain Mitchell clicked something in the palm of his hand and another picture appeared, this one of a boy who couldn't be more than twenty-two years old. The boy had shaggy brown hair. "This is Justin Stewart. He was eleven when he took up the mantle of the blue Turbo Ranger. Rocky gave Justin his Turbo powers when he injured his back and Justin proved to be a valuable asset to the team. He was really good at video games and had an exceptionally high IQ, moving him into high school as an eleven-year-old. When the other Rangers left on the Astro Megaship, Justin stayed behind with his father. But, when the time came, he stood ready to help his friends, even years later." Flynn came onto the stage this time, along with Justin's father, a man who had been difficult to track down but not impossible. He had been found in a work camp not far from Angel Grove. The man held a blue rose against the crystal wall, his face screwed up with pain. "And now, Justin, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Flynn fired one shot. One shot was all it would take.

"Next is Andros, a mysterious man from KO-35. When first the Rangers stumbled upon him, he was silent and brooding. But he warmed up to them and proved to be a valuable asset to the team as the Red Space Ranger. He also proved to be instrumental in defeating Astronema and restoring her to her real self as his sister, Karone. Later, he and the other Space Rangers travelled to Terra Venture to help the Galaxy Rangers and he also joined in on the Forever Red mission to the moon." Casey and Zhane walked up the steps of the stage together, Zhane holding the red rose. Zhane had his Astro Blaster holstered at his hip and was wearing an old Space Ranger jacket he'd found in the Corinth City headquarters. No one knew how it had ended up there but he had worn it pretty much every day since then. He held the rose up and looked at Captain Mitchell. "And now, Andros, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." A second later, more red dye stained the crystal.

Captain Mitchell waited for the next picture to appear before he spoke. The picture was of a young man with short brown hair and a red tank top. "Leo Corbett was not even supposed to be aboard Terra Venture. He stowed away and then wound up on Mirinoi with the other Rangers. He was not even the one who pulled the red Quasar Saber from the stone. But he was the one who carried the fight to Trakeena, who led the other Galaxy Rangers into and out of battle. He was the true Red Galaxy Ranger. Leo was always ready to fight, returning to Earth to help the Lightspeed Rangers and participating in the Forever Red mission. Leo loved Kendrix Morgan with all of his heart and they were married in a simple Mirinoi ceremony in 2001. They had a daughter named Jessica Morgan in 2003 and a son named Jacob Leo in 2005. Leo and Kendrix wanted very much to never leave Mirinoi again but then, in 2008, Kendrix was teleported right out of their home. Leo followed her and rescued her and they returned to Mirinoi. But then, a few weeks later, Kendrix vanished. She was gone. Leo travelled to Earth to find her, leaving his kids in the care of his brother and promised them he'd come back as soon as he could, that he was just 'going to find Mommy.' Jessie was five and Jake was three. They didn't understand what had happened when Leo didn't return. They didn't know he'd given his life so his friends could escape. All they knew was their Daddy and their Mommy weren't coming home. Mike took them in and has raised them on Mirinoi all this time." Casey hadn't left the stage and still held his Drive Defender pointed at the crystal wall. Mike Corbett, Leo's brother, had flown in from Terra Venture, using some crazy super-speed shuttle of Dr. K's. He seemed to be all cried out, his eyes were dry but extremely red. Standing with him were a brown-haired, nine-year-old girl and a blonde-haired, seven-year-old boy. Jake held a blood-red rose. "And now, Leo, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Jake handed the rose to his Uncle Mike who positioned the rose in front of the crystal. Casey fired.

The next hologram was another blonde-haired woman, this one wearing glasses. "Kendrix Morgan was probably the brains behind the operation. She was very brainy and served in Terra Venture's GSA department. She showed no hesitation in pulling the pink Quasar Saber from the stone. Kendrix fought valiantly in every battle she entered and finally, in a true show of courage, gave her life for Cassie when Psycho Pink created an energy storm that was sucking away all of Cassie's energy. When the Swords were placed back into the stone at the end of the Galaxy Rangers' mission, Kendrix was resurrected and lived with her friends on Mirinoi. She didn't hesitate to take back up the sword though, when danger arose. Kendrix was the first Ranger to fall in battle; unfortunately, she wouldn't be the last. Kira and Leo married in 2001 and had two children, Jake and Jessie. After Leo rescued Kendrix, she thought it was over for good. Two weeks later she disappeared." Kira joined Mike and the two kids on the stage. She knelt down and handed Jessie a rose which the girl held in front of the wall. "And now, Kendrix, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira pulled the trigger of her Thundermax Laser and the rose petals fell to the ground leaving nothing but a stem in Jess' hand and pink dye on the wall.

Another hologram appeared of a young Asian man with short-cropped black hair. "Kai Chen was a soldier aboard Terra Venture, very dedicated to his duty. After his teammates all left to go help Maya on Mirinoi, Kai ended up taking the Astro Megaship after them, bringing it, Damon and Alpha to the rescue. Kai does things by the book and was the one to pull the Blue Quasar Saber from the stone on Mirinoi, making him the Blue Galaxy Ranger. And, when the Lightspeed Rangers needed him on Earth, he took up the powers once more to fight." Flynn and a man who had also been flown in from Mirinoi, Commander Stanton, walked onto the stage. Commander Stanton wore a military-like uniform and held a blue rose in front of the wall. "And now, Kai, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Flynn fired. After the blue dye was on the crystal wall, he and Commander Stanton returned to their seats.

"Damon Henderson was the green Galaxy Ranger. He was a mechanic aboard the Astro Megaship when it was a museum and, along with Kai, flew the ship to Mirinoi to rescue the others. While on Mirinoi, he pulled the green Quasar Saber from the stone. Damon's knowledge of the Astro Megaship and his ability to keep it in top-notch shape was a valuable asset to the Ranger team. Damon was a jokester, always loving to kid around and hating to see anyone upset. He was also always ready to do his duty, as when he took up the powers again when evil threatened Earth." Xander and a small, older woman approached the stage. The old woman had also come from Mirinoi and had given her name as High Commander Renier. She held a green rose. "And now, Damon, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Xander took careful aim, fired, and green dye splattered the wall as the rose disintegrated.

"Maya was not from Earth. She was a native of Mirinoi, who came to Earth through a rift in space. Maya led the other Rangers back to Mirinoi, where she joined with them in removing the Quasar Sabers. She was the yellow Galaxy Ranger. Maya was a calm and cheerful person and had great respect for nature. It was perhaps this very quality that enabled her to hear the Galactabeasts in their torment. She and the other Rangers were able to find the Galactabeasts and free them, making lifelong allies in the process. Maya was overjoyed to be a Galaxy Ranger and live out her lifelong dream of being one to wield a Quasar Saber but, when the time came, she returned her sword to the stone in order to restore her people." Kira hadn't left the stage as Commander Stanton returned to the crystal wall and positioned a yellow rose. "And now, Maya, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira squeezed off a shot and yellow dye exploded from the flower onto the wall. Then she and Commander Stanton returned to their seats.

The next hologram showed a young woman with blonde hair and a skin-tight black tank top. "Karone was once an evil villainess, bent on destroying Earth and the Space Rangers. With her brother, Andros', help, Astronema was returned to good, returned to being Karone. Karone was drawn to the pink Galaxy Saber after Kendrix died and found it, protected it and used its power to become the new Pink Ranger. Karone was constantly seeking to make up for the evil and damage she had done as the princess of evil and was sweet and gentle. When the time came, Karone placed the Quasar Saber into the stone and gave up her powers. Then she travelled to KO-35 to find Zhane. The two began a relationship that ended in marriage in 2001. They were married on KO-35 and lived there for a year before moving back to Angel Grove. Their children seemed tied to Leo and Kendrix's. A son was born to them in 2003 and they named him Jackson. Later, in 2005, they had a daughter they named Rachel. Three years after Rachel was born, Karone was captured by the Overlord. Zhane went to free her but couldn't get to her before she was killed. Zhane returned to Angel Grove but couldn't stay away when he heard about all the Rangers getting vanished. His teammates were disappearing all around him. So, with a heavy heart, Zhane sent Rachel and Jackson to Mirinoi to live with Mike. I know how excited he was when Mike showed up two weeks ago with his kids in tow, kids he hadn't seen in over four years." Zhane and two kids took the stage now. The boy, Jack, held a pink rose, Zhane carried an Astro Blaster. Rachel clung to her father's leg. "And now, Karone, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Less than a minute later, more pink dye appeared on the crystal wall.

Now another picture appeared, a young man with brown hair, wearing a red jacket. Captain Mitchell's voice was slightly choked up as he started to speak. "Carter Grayson was the leader of the Lightspeed Rescue team. Before he was a Power Ranger, he was one of Mariner Bay's best firefighters. Countless times, he risked his life to save others. Exactly the qualities I was looking for in a Red Ranger. He was the first to step forward and accept the role of Lightspeed Rescue Power Ranger and it was his heroic actions at the end that finished Queen Bansheera for good. Carter also fought in the Forever Red mission and led his team to Silver City to finish off Vypra when she returned. He was the best leader a Captain could ask for." Casey walked slowly up onto the stage and Captain Mitchell turned to join him. The Captain pulled a red rose from his pocket and put it in front of the crystal wall. "And now, Carter, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey fired, the dye splashed onto the wall and Captain Mitchell returned to the podium, keying up another picture, this one of a young man with black hair.

"Chad Lee was a whale trainer at a local theme park when we approached him to be the Blue Lightspeed Rescue Ranger. Chad was quiet and peaceful, an avid scuba diver and a great asset to the team. He brought to our team a wide array of martial arts skills. Chad met Marina, a mermaid with whom he fell in love, though they eventually parted ways and Chad turned his attention to another one of our Rangers, Kelsey. After the defeat of Queen Bansheera, Chad became a lifeguard, though he didn't hesitate when called upon to help the Time Force Rangers defeat an undead Vypra. And then, ultimately, he gave his life protecting Katie, a Ranger not even from his team. But that's just how Chad was." Flynn jogged onto the stage as Ms. Fairweather walked slowly up the steps on the other side. She was wearing a lab jacket in memory of the fallen Lightspeed Rangers. She held a blue rose high in the air. "And now, Chad, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." One shot was all it took for the blue dye to join the others.

"Joel Rawlings." Captain Mitchell paused as he waited for the picture of an African-American guy in a cowboy hat to appear above the stage. "Sky Cowboy. He was one of a kind. Before he became a Ranger, he was a stunt pilot and quite a good one too. He loved to impress people and what better way to do it than as the Green Rescue Ranger? Joel was always willing to do whatever it took to save his city, even if he seemed reluctant at first. After the last battle, Joel married Ms. Fairweather, a scientist at Lightspeed whom he'd had a crush on for a long time. But, as luck would have it, Vypra returned just as they were headed on their honeymoon. Joel didn't hesitate to pick back up his powers and head to Silver City with his team." Ryan joined Ms. Fairweather on the stage and gave her a hug. He wore his red Lightspeed jacket, something Captain Mitchell had saved through the years, believing his son was dead. Ms. Fairweather took a green rose from a pocket and kissed it before holding it up. Ryan took out a Rescue Blaster. "And now, Joel, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ryan, tears streaming, fired. Ms. Fairweather, tears also pouring down her face, watched the flower as it disintegrated and then she carefully put the stem back into her pocket and left the stage, Ryan beside her, arm around her shoulder.

"Kelsey Winslow was an extreme sport fanatic. We found her at the top of this massive rock she'd climbed and took her to be the yellow Power Ranger. She was always doing extreme sports and trying the next big thing, which for her was becoming a Power Ranger. Near the end of her Power Ranger career, she reconciled with her Grandmother, something she'd always talked about being able to do. Kelsey and Chad fell in love after the missions were over, something everyone had predicted except for them. Kelsey returned again to action sports after Bansheera was defeated but returned to action both to fight Vypra and the Overlord." Kira came onto the stage, along with Ryan. Ryan held a yellow flower. Kira held her gun. "And now, Kelsey, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired. Then she left the stage as Ryan stepped over beside his father.

Captain Mitchell swallowed hard a couple of times. The next picture flickered into existence above the stage. It showed a smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. "This is Dana Mitchell, my daughter. She worked as a paramedic with Lightspeed for eighteen years before becoming the pink Power Ranger. Dana was always level-headed and very intellectual. She was instrumental in gathering the Ranger team. At one point, Dana tried her hand at modeling but eventually returned to the team. After the defeat of Queen Bansheera, Dana became a pediatrician and married her one true love, Carter Grayson, my Red Ranger. They were married for just over half a year when the Time Force Rangers found themselves dealing with Vypra. Both Dana and Carter went to Silver City to take her down. In the end, Dana was killed by the Psycho Rangers and Carter was disappeared by them. They left behind one child, a child named Ryan that I have kept hidden all these years in a newly repaired Aquabase as Venjix ravaged the globe." Captain Mitchell turned to look at the stairs as Ryan walked slowly up them, a young, blonde-haired, chubby-cheeked little girl holding his hand. She couldn't have been more than five. Captain Mitchell smiled through his tears and stepped to the crystal wall. He took a pink rose from his granddaughter and placed it against the wall. "And now, Dana, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ryan knelt down beside his niece and wrapped her hands around his Rescue Blaster's trigger, then wrapped his hands around hers. Carefully, he aimed the gun and nudged the girl's arm. She pulled the trigger with her chubby thumb and the blast hit the rose dead-center. Then both Ryan and the little girl returned to their seats and Captain Mitchell walked back to the podium.

"Jen was the tough-as-nails leader of the Time Force Rangers. She led three of her teammates back through time, chasing Ransik to the 21st century. She always expected the best from her team and put up a cold exterior because she was afraid to open up. But one man, Wesley Collins, managed to break her façade and get through to the heart inside. I met them once, a year or so before the whole Overlord thing and knew they were meant to be together. They had wed in 2005, after the whole Mutorg incident. In 2006, they had a son named Sky. Wes promised his wife that he would never let anything happen to the child. Then Jen disappeared and Wes knew he had to fight to protect his son. He called me and asked if I would take Sky in while he was fighting and of course I said yes. I took Sky to the Aquabase with Ryan and myself and we were soon joined by Lee and Andrew." Kira walked up the stage, along with a man who looked a lot like Wesley Collins and a six-year-old, black-haired little boy. The man's name was Alex and he'd arrived out of a wormhole the day before. He hadn't offered any details on where he'd come from or how long he would stay, just asked to be at the memorial. He held a pink rose with an engagement ring around the stem. No one knew the story behind the ring and he wasn't telling. "And now, Jen, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira took the little boy's hand and placed his fingers on the trigger of her gun. After the dye splattered, the adult Alex and Kira returned to their seats.

"Wesley Collins was a spoiled rich kid from Silver Hills. He saved Jen from certain death with his motorcycle and she asked him to help them unlock their morphers, since Wes' DNA was a genetic match with Alex's. He agreed and helped them win their first battle, at which point Jen took back the morpher, saying they didn't need Wes. Turns out they did so Wes became the red Time Force Ranger. He helped the team find a place to live in an old clock tower his father owned. Wes actually moved out of his mansion and into the clock tower with his new friends. Over time, he proved to be a courageous fighter and champion for good. In the end, he sent his friends back to their own time in order to save them. They returned and helped him win the battle for Silver Hills and then they did leave for good – or so they thought. Wes became the co-leader of the Silver Guardians with Eric Meyers and thought he'd put away the powers for good. However, when the Mutorgs attacked Turtle Cove, Wes went to the aid of the Wild Force Rangers. He also fought in the Forever Red mission and returned to the front lines to fight the Overlord. The last thing he ever wanted to do was leave his son an orphan but Wes Collins would never shirk from his duty. After Jen disappeared, Wes knew he had to make sure his son would survive. So he left him with me." Casey walked up the steps, accompanied by Wes' father, Mr. Collins. They joined Wes' son on stage and Mr. Collins led Sky over to the wall. Mr. Collins stretched as high as he could and extended his arm to hold the red rose near the top of the wall. Sky tilted his head back so he could see the flower. "And now, Wes, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey pulled the trigger of his Drive Defender and watched as the blast of energy fried the rose. Then they returned to their seats and another picture appeared.

"Lucas Kendall was a race car driver in the future. Two things Lucas loved were cars and girls. But beneath his 'player' exterior was a young man who cared a lot about his friends and the people of Silver Hills. He always tried to look cool and was a big brother to Trip, the green Ranger. Lucas was the blue Time Force Ranger and never failed to be there when his friends needed him, even when it meant traveling to the past again to deal with the Mutorgs in Turtle Cove. When Lucas and the others chose not to return to the future after helping the Wild Force Rangers, Lucas and Nadira decided to see how far they could take their relationship. And then Lucas took up the powers again to fight the Overlord." A tall woman with hot pink hair approached the crystal wall as Flynn stepped onto the stage opposite her. She had shown up all alone a few days before the ceremony, crying and demanding to know what had happened to her fiancé. "And now, Lucas, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a man with green hair and some kind of jewel-looking thing on his forehead. "Trip wasn't just from the future. He was from the planet Xybria, and had a gem on his forehead that made him psychic, giving him abilities like telepathy, empathy, and precognition. These abilities were random though and he couldn't predict when he'd get a flash. Since he came from a society where everyone knew everything, Trip was super trusting. He had a childlike innocence that could get him into trouble and he looked up to his fellow Rangers as role models. His constant companion was Circuit, the robotic owl who called the Rangers' Zords for them among other things. Trip was also a technological genius, maintaining the Rangers' weapons and building new weapons like the Electro Booster. Trip was instrumental in helping Nadira see the light, so to speak, when he forced her to help deliver a baby in the final battle with Ransik. Trip also returned in 2002 to help defeat the Mutorgs and he eventually sacrificed himself in the final battle with the Overlord, trying to protect Katie." Xander hopped onto the stage, apparently deciding not to take the stairs, as a small, blue owl fluttered onto the stage opposite him. The owl had come from the future with Alex, and called itself Circuit. Circuit clutched a green rose in his talons and he flapped higher, against the crystal wall. The rose dangled by its stem from Circuit's talons as Xander prepared to fire. "And now, Trip, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." The shot from Xander rocked Circuit back a few inches as the rose disintegrated and green dye splashed onto the crystal.

"Katie was the yellow Time Force Ranger. She was the complete opposite of Jen, as she was friendly and bubbly and cheerful. She also possessed super strength, which may have been to futuristic genetic engineering, though she would never disclose the true source of her power. Katie was very attached to her family and missed them terribly while in Silver Hills. The possibility of never seeing them again once nearly drove her to quit being a Power Ranger but in the end, she did what she knew was right. Katie returned to 2002 with the rest of her team in order to fight the Mutorgs and then stayed with her team in Silver Hills, until the deal with the Overlord came around." Kira and Alex came onto the stage, the latter holding a yellow rose. "And now, Katie, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The last Time Force Ranger's picture appeared, a picture of a black-haired man with a smirk on his face. "Eric Meyers wasn't from the future. He and Wes had actually attended the same school back in the day before Eric dropped out. Eric was a member of the Silver Guardians before he found the Quantum Morpher and used it to become the Quantum Ranger. He was then appointed leader of the Silver Guardians. Eric dished out his own brand of justice in Silver Hills, most often clashing with the Rangers. Finally, though, in the end, Eric took a hit meant for Wes and his father, and passed his Quantum Morpher on to Wes. Wes used the morpher to control the Q-Rex and summon the Quantum Defender. After the defeat of Ransik, Eric regained his morpher and he and Wes became co-leaders of the Silver Guardians. He and Wes followed the Mutorgs to Turtle Cove and joined with the Wild Force team to defeat them. It was love at first sight for Eric and Taylor and the two tied the knot in 2005. Two years later, Taylor gave birth to twin daughters whom they named Sydney and Shay. Two years after that, Taylor was captured and Eric left to go after her. He rescued his wife and brought her back to the Animarium, where their children were. Two weeks after that, Taylor disappeared. And Eric lost it. He went to Earth to find Taylor, asking the Princess Shayla look after his daughters. He died on that mission and Princess Shayla honored his last request by taking care of his daughters for five years." Hunter trotted up the stairs as a teenage girl walked up across from him, holding the hands of two eight-year-old blonde girls. The teenager had shown up a few days before, claiming to have been a friend of Eric's when she was younger. Said something about birds and asked to be included in his part of the memorial. So now she held a deep red rose in front of the crystal wall, Eric's daughters standing beside her. "And now, Eric, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Cole Evans was raised in the jungle by natives after his parents were killed. When he was old enough, the natives gave him two things they had found on him – a picture of his parents and a Red Lion Orb. Cole went to the city of Turtle Cove to find out who he was. He ended up being found by the Rangers and Princess Shayla and became the Red Wild Force Ranger. Cole had an affinity for nature and a talent to communicate with wild animals and, in turn, the Wild Zords. He fought long and hard against Master Org and the other Orgs and was the rookie on the team that went to the moon on the Forever Red mission. After Cole's powers were lost, he used his talents to help animals. His powers were restored to him and he, along with the rest of the Wild Force team, were able to help take down the Overlord." Casey and a beautiful woman in a long, flowing white dress walked onto the stage. Princess Shayla had come down from the Animarium with Eric and Taylor's girls when she heard of the return of the Power Rangers, hoping some of hers would be alive. What she'd found hadn't been good news but she had stayed for the memorial service. Now she held a red rose as Casey raised his Defender. "And now, Cole Evans, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Danny Delgado was a shy, reserved young man who had the strength of the Iron Bison. Before becoming a Ranger, Danny worked at a flower shop and after becoming a Ranger, he tended the gardens on the Animarium. Danny had a serious fear of heights but served well as a Ranger. He and Max were best friends. After the defeat of Master Org, Danny and Max left to travel the world and party on a long vacation. However, he didn't hesitate when it came to becoming a Wild Force Ranger again to rescue the girls from the Overlord." Xander smiled at Kendall as the two took the stage. Kendall held a black rose in her hand, one she had plucked from her own rose gardens. "And now, Danny, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Before Max Cooper took up the powers of the Blue Wild Force Ranger, he was well on his way to being a champion bowler. But he didn't fail to do what was right and fought hard as the blue Ranger. He worked hard to overcome being the youngest on the team and was often overly cocky as a result. His best friend was Danny and the two left after Master Org was defeated to party on a long vacation around the world. He fell defending his friends." Princess Shayla returned to the stage with Flynn, holding a blue rose in her hand. Flynn cradled a low-powered Turbo Cannon in his hands now. "And now, Max, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Taylor Earhart served with the Air Force before she ever became a Power Ranger. She was the first one to ever see the Animarium, spotting it out of a plane window when she was a little girl. Then, when she was out on maneuvers one day, she saw it again and ended up crashing there. She found Princess Shayla and became the Yellow Ranger and the leader of the team. As a leader who had been in the military, she could be a bit cold and unfeeling at times but she was an effective leader. When Cole arrived, Taylor turned over the leadership of the Rangers to him. And then, the seemingly cold Taylor met a man from Silver Hills, Eric Meyers. The two fell in love and got married. They had two children who stayed on the Animarium when Eric rushed to save Taylor from the Overlord and during the Venjix attack." Princess Shayla had remained on the stage and now, as Kira, Sydney and Shay joined her, took a yellow flower from some hidden pocket in the folds of her dress. "And now, Taylor, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Alyssa Enrile attended Turtle Cove University when she wasn't fighting Orgs as the Pink Wild Force Ranger. She was nurturing and kind, always ready to tend a wound or help a fallen friend. Alyssa's father trained her in martial arts and had hoped she would take over his academy one day. He was heartbroken when she moved to Turtle Cove to attend university but when he saw the good she was doing as a Ranger, he was immensely proud of her. Once all the evil Orgs were defeated, Alyssa finished college and became a kindergarten teacher. She was brave and she was kind and she was noble, just like her Wild Zord, the Noble Tiger." Kira was joined on stage by a tall man who had been rescued from a work camp a couple hundred miles from Corinth City. He had matched the profile on Dr. K's database of Alyssa's father and it had indeed proven to be Mr. Enrile. The man was gaunt and old, but his expression was one of pride and sorrow as he removed the pink rose from his pocket. "And now, Alyssa, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Merrick fought 3,000 years ago as an Ancient Warrior and was tasked with keeping Shayla safe. He did and then sought the legendary mask of Zen-Aku. The other Ancient Warriors imprisoned Zen-Aku until he was awakened by Master Org to fight the Rangers. And fight them he did with the help of his Dark Wild Zord orbs. Merrick was finally restored when the Rangers defeated his Predazord. However, Merrick refused to help the Rangers, feeling he had done too much evil as Zen-Aku. Merrick also refused to stay on the Animarium with the Rangers or to pursue the romantic feelings he had for Shayla. Instead, he worked and stayed at Willy's Road House. He knew when the Rangers were in trouble by the blowing of the wind and would undoubtedly be there to aid them. Over time, he accepted the Rangers as friends. After the final battle with Master Org, Merrick left to travel the world with Zen-Aku, who hoped for a chance at redemption. It was not the end for Merrick, however, and he would return to fight alongside the other Rangers against the Psycho Rangers and Venjix. In the end, he gave his life so that Leo would live." Princess Shayla, tears streaming unchecked down her face, walked slowly up the steps. Flynn had done his best to find Merrick's old friend, Willy, and had, but the older man had died in a work camp. So Shayla held up a silver rose to the crystal wall as Zhane raised his Silverizer opposite her. "And now, Merrick, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

A new picture showed above the stage. This one was of a man with spiky black hair and a serious expression on his face. "Shane Clarke was an avid skateboarder before becoming a Ranger. He loved the high aerial moves, prompting him to choose the Wind discipline at the Ninja Academy. It took a while for him to learn the leadership ropes but, when he finally learned to rely on his teammates, he became a star leader. Shane lost his powers fighting Lothor but, by using his inner Ninja abilities, was able to defeat the evil Ninja Master." Casey helped an older man up onto the stage. It had taken Hunter a week to track down Shane's old Sensei and when he'd finally found the wise old man, the man had been near death. Dr. K had nursed him back to health and, while he wasn't fully healed yet, he'd insisted on being in the ceremony. He carried a red rose. "And now, Shane, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dustin Brooks was the only Ranger who believed in the Power Rangers before he became one. He worked at Storm Chargers and was a motocross racer. He could be a bit air-headed sometimes and incredibly trusting. Dustin fought with the Earth technique and, after Lothor destroyed the Ninja Academy, was given the Yellow Ranger powers. Sometimes Dustin's trusting nature seemed to get him in trouble, such as the time when he trusted Marah and she betrayed him. But, in the end, she did have some good in her and a crush on the Wind Ranger." Hunter met a young, brown-haired, gaunt woman at the foot of the steps and walked up to the stage with her. He'd spent the last week searching for Marah and her sister, Kapri, and had finally found the former alive and the latter dead. Marah had been near to death herself but was quickly on the way to recovery. She clutched a yellow rose tightly. Hunter planted his feet shoulder-length apart and raised his Crimson Blaster. "And now, Dustin, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture depicted a woman with long, straight blonde hair and blue eyes. "Tori Hanson was a surfer chick at heart. She was level-headed and often irritated by her teammate's antics. She employed the Water Ninja Powers. After Lothor destroyed the Academy, she took up the blue Power Ranger powers. When Blake Bradley came into town, Tori fell in love with him from the onset. She saw the good in him when no one else would and they finally got married in 2006. About four years ago, fairly soon before the Overlord attacked, they had their first child, a son they named Andrew Hunter Bradley. A son who was left an orphan not more than four weeks after he was born. Tori's Sensei took Andrew under his guard and brought him to me when Venjix took over. We had been friends and he knew I would protect Andrew as I was protecting my granddaughter, Ryan and two other Rangers' children. Now Andrew will grow up under the care of his uncle Hunter." Captain Mitchell cast a small smile at Hunter as the Power Ranger mounted the steps, little four-year-old Andrew's hand tight in his. The little boy clutched two roses in his hand, one light blue and the other dark blue. Right now, he handed the light blue one to Hunter and then wrapped his arms around his Uncle's leg, staring at the crowd with apprehension. Kira walked over to the pair and gave the little boy a hug before raising her Thundermax laser as Hunter stepped up to the wall. "And now, Tori, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

It was only fitting that the next picture would be of Tori's husband and Hunter's brother, Blake Bradley. Kira quickly left the stage as Andrew and Hunter remained behind Captain Mitchell. "Blake Bradley and Hunter Bradley were adoptive brothers who trained at the Thunder Ninja Academy. They were given Thunder morphers right before their Ninja Academy was destroyed. Unfortunately, they were captured by Lothor and the evil Ninja convinced them that the Wind Ninja Sensei was responsible for killing their parents. They attacked the Wind Ninja Rangers with a vengeance. Blake constantly found his attraction to Tori getting in the way with fighting her and even used her to gain entrance to the Wind Ninja Academy and capture Sensei. It wasn't until Hunter and Blake visited the Cavern of Spirits and were told that the Wind Rangers weren't responsible for their parent's deaths that they realized the truth. After a while, they agreed to fight with the Wind Rangers and all of them became great friends. Dustin was able to get him a job as a stock boy at Storm Chargers and Blake continued after his dream of becoming an all-star motocross racer. He married Tori just after the incident with Lothor and the Dino Thunder Rangers. Then he swore he would never put on the suit again, not when he had someone he didn't want to leave behind. But Tori was captured by the Overlord and Blake was forced to leave his three-old son behind to go and save her. And before he left, he told Hunter that he'd put the suit back on as many times as he had to. Because now he had someone worth fighting for. He never wanted to leave his son behind, would never have wanted Andrew to grow up without a father. But there was nothing to be done for it. He left and he fought and he died." Now Flynn was walking onto the stage as Andrew handed Hunter the other rose and Hunter held it in front of the wall. "And now, Blake, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Hunter was crying openly as the dark blue dye splashed onto the wall beside the dye from Tori's rose. Andrew yanked on his pants leg and the lean, blonde-haired man swept his nephew up into his arms as he walked back to his seat and sat down. Ryan and his niece, who was named after him, were sitting beside them and Andrew went to sit in Ryan's lap.

The last picture of the Ninja Storm Rangers was of an Asian man with glasses and jet-black hair. "Cameron Watanbe was sarcastic and sharp-tongued. He was raised by parents who were martial arts masters and his skill and prowess probably surpasses that of his teammates. At first, he served only as a technical advisor to the Rangers, monitoring battles and sending weapons and Zords. He wanted to be a Ranger very badly but his father wouldn't let him, having promised his mother that he wouldn't allow Cam to follow the ways of the Ninja. Cam travelled back in time to find a new source of power after the Rangers lost their powers. He found the Samurai Amulet and was eventually given it by his mother of all people. He became the Green Samurai Ranger and was an invaluable asset to the team. Cam resumed his role at the school after the defeat of Lothor. He fell alongside his friend, Shane, in fighting the Overlord's minions." Hunter walked back onto the stage, helping Cam's father, Sensei Watanbe, onto the stage. Sensei held a green rose against the crystal. "And now, Cam, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Connor McKnight was the star of the Reefside High School soccer team. He was the definition of a jock. At first, after he became a Ranger, he thought only of himself, but that quickly changed and he became a real leader. His Dino Gem made him the Red Tyranno Ranger and gave him super speed. He had a passion for protecting others that made him the ideal Red Ranger. When the Overlord captured Casey and the other Jungle Fury Rangers, Connor didn't hesitate to go with Kira and Trent to JKP and provide aid. The three of them fought alongside the Jungle Fury Rangers and then all the other Power Rangers to rescue the girl Rangers. Connor led the direct attack on the Overlord's lair and, after the battle, became the sort of _de facto_ leader of the latter half of the Power Ranger legacy, reporting to Dr. Oliver on the state of his Rangers. After over half of the Rangers disappeared, Connor reluctantly took charge, sure no one would follow him. To his surprise, even the legendary Jason Scott agreed to follow him. He then went with Hunter to save Tori and ended up sacrificing his life to protect her." Casey jumped up onto the stage as Hayley walked up opposite him. She held another red rose. "And now, Connor, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture was of an African-American man with short black hair. "Ethan James was the world's biggest computer geek, second perhaps only to Billy Cranston. He was a champion gamer and loved to play video games and was thoroughly excited to find the Dino Gems. He was granted Tricera Armor after bonding with his gem and becoming the blue Tricera Ranger. Ethan had real trouble realizing his duties as a Ranger weren't a game but, after getting sucked _into_ a video game, Ethan came to understand that there are some things in life that must be taken seriously. After using up the last of his Dino Gem energy in the battle with Mesagog, Ethan went on to attend Reefside Tech and started writing software." Flynn took the stage with his Turbo Cannon held loosely in one hand as Devin walked up across from him, holding a blue rose. "And now, Ethan, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The last picture of a Dino Thunder Ranger was a young man in a white button-up with spiky black hair. "Trent Fernandez was the white Drago Ranger. His powers were originally from the tainted white Dino Gem and they made him evil. He fought on the side of Mesagog, who was also his father, for a really long time. His Dino Gem gave him the power to blend in with his surroundings like a chameleon. The evils of the Dino Gem were finally destroyed and Trent joined the side of good, fighting alongside the Rangers, though he promises to keep his father's secret. When the other Rangers found out Trent was hiding his father's secret, they were very angry and Trent had to prove himself to them. He led them into the Island Fortress and was able to rescue his father from Mesagog's clutches. After Mesagog's defeat, Trent attended art school. A year after Trent left for art school, he and Kira were wed and she attended a grad school near him. In 2007, they had a son that they named Carson Trent Fernandez. In early 2009, Kira discovered she was pregnant. A month later, she, Trent and Connor went to Ocean Bluff to help the Jungle Fury Rangers. Trent tried to persuade her to stay home but she refused, saying she could still kick his butt. After they helped to defeat the Overlord, Trent and Kira swore they would never leave their son again. Trent made Kira promise she wouldn't fight anymore, not while she was pregnant. Only a few weeks passed before Trent disappeared. Kira took her son to her father-in-law and made him swear he would never let anything happen to him, no matter what. She tried to keep her pregnancy a secret from her teammates but it turned out Trent had told Xander. So Xander tried to force her not to fight but she wouldn't hear of it. She fought and she survived but then she was pregnant with no doctors and she was in hiding. Flynn and Xander cared for her and Casey found her a doctor just when she needed one. Kira gave birth to a little girl she named Connor Hope while they were in hiding. And every one of the guy Rangers took it upon themselves to protect that little girl. They would go without food if they only had enough for Connor. They never slept all at the same time; someone was always keeping an eye on Connor. They protected Kira and her daughter, as Trent would have wanted them too. And, all these years, Trent's father had been keeping her son safe and the Mom and son were reunited two weeks ago." Kira and Anton Mercer walked onto the stage. Kira held a three-year-old, black-haired little girl in her arms, trying to keep Connor's hands away from her Thundermax laser. Trent's father held Carson's hand and a white rose, onto which Kira had used a black pen to carefully trace one of Trent's pictures. The result was stunning and sad. "And now, Trent, we honor your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Nick Russell rode into Briarwood on his motorcycle to stay with his sister. He was the first to jump in to help an old man whose brother was missing but he was the last to embrace magic. Eventually, it was discovered that Nick was actually the Light, the son of sorceress Udonna and wizard Leanbow. Turned out his name was really Bowen. Near the end of the battle, the Master took over his body and forced him to wreak havoc on the town. It wasn't until his father professed his love for Nick that the Master left Nick's body. And, in the end, Nick and his fellow Rangers defeated the Master and saved Briarwood. After that, Nick and his parents, Udonna and Leanbow, left town on motorcycles to see Nick's adoptive parents. Nick promised Madison, whom he loved, that he would return and left her his baby blanket as proof. He kept his promise and returned a year later, in 2007, and married Madison. They lived in Briarwood and hoped to raise a family. Finally, in mid-2008, Madison gave birth to a son whom they named Lee. Madison and Nick never wanted to leave their son but Nick didn't have a choice – he had to go after Madison when the Overlord took her. After the Overlord killed both of Lee's parents, Xander brought the child to Andrew Hartford, hoping Mack's father would know what to do. Andrew knew of the Aquabase and he contacted me, asking if Lee could stay with me until things smoothed over. Of course I said yes and Lee spent four years with us." Xander stepped up onto the stage with Lee riding piggyback and clutching a red rose in his hand. Casey stopped at the other end of the stage and raised his Drive Defender. "And now, Nick, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Xander and Lee stayed on the stage but Casey returned to his seat.

"Madison Rocca was the most introverted of the Ranger team. She loved to make films and almost always had her camera in front of her face. Over time, she became more outgoing but still preferred to be behind the camera, rather than in front of it. Even though she had a terrible fear of frogs, she kissed Daggeron when he was a frog and restored him to his true self. Madison used her powers of water to defeat evil and, after the Master was defeated, nearly begged Nick not to leave. He gave her his baby blanket and promised he'd be back. She spent a year finishing school and working at the Rock Porium and, when Nick returned, accepted his proposal without hesitation. They were married for a year before Lee came along and Madison was kidnapped by the Overlord just after his three-month birthday. She was killed by the Overlord." Five-year-old Lee chose that moment to throw his blue rose off the edge of the stage. Kira picked it up as she walked towards the crystal wall and handed it to Xander. "And now, Madison, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Charlie Thorn liked to be called Chip. He had a sharp wit and possessed immense knowledge of the supernatural. Out of all the Mystic Force Rangers, he was the one who was most excited to become a Power Ranger. His knowledge of the supernatural once saved Vida from being a vampire. He fell more in love with that girl every day but they hadn't gotten around to tying the knot yet when the Overlord attacked and captured Vida. Luckily, he was able to rescue her but then they disappeared while on their way for a vacation." Toby, the manager of Rock Porium, came up the stairs, his hands in his pockets and a yellow rose tucked into his buttonhole. Flynn joined him on stage. "And now, Chip, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Vida Rocca was Madison's older sister. She was a tough-as-nails, hardcore, go-getter and wasn't particularly fond of her ranger color, pink. Vida could often be found DJing at the Rock Porium when she wasn't out fighting crime. After the defeat of the Master, Vida could still be found DJing at the Rock Porium with her friend, Matoombo." Kira jogged back onto the stage as LeeLee walked up to stand beside the crystal wall, holding a hot pink rose out beside her. "And now, Vida, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Daggeron was one of the legendary warriors who sealed the Master away. He was charged with protecting Bowen – Nick – but was stopped by Calindor and forced to fight. Calindor cursed Daggeron and turned him into a frog. Daggeron, the Solaris Knight, was eventually rescued and restored to his true self by Madison, when she kissed him. He became the trainer for the Power Rangers and, though his methods may seem harsh and difficult at times, his intention is just to make the Rangers the best they can be. He and Leanbow were defeated in the end but were revived by Necrolai and helped the Rangers defeat the Master. Daggeron fought valiantly against the Overlord and was disappeared by the Psycho Rangers, along with Chip and Vida." Zhane took the stage now, along with Nikki. Nikki held a golden rose out in front of the crystal wall and Zhane powered up his Silverizer. "And now, Daggeron, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Mackenzie Hartford dreamed of one day being an adventurer like his father. Mack, as he liked to be called, begged his father to let him join the Power Ranger team. At first, his father was opposed to this but Mack proved himself and became the Red Operation Overdrive Ranger. Mack was the heart of his team. He was friendly and reliable and taught Will the meaning of teamwork. He also never gave up. Then Mack found out something shocking – he was an android, not a human at all. It was only his love for his team that caused him to risk it all and become the Red Sentinel Ranger. In the end, Mack used all his energy to defeat Flurious and was destroyed. The Sentinel Knight used the Corona Aurora to restore Mack to life and give him what he had always wanted, humanity. Mack loved Rose but never acted on his feelings until it was too late and he was killed by the Overlord while trying to protect Rose." Casey mounted the steps as Mack's father, Andrew Hartford, followed behind him. Spencer had spent the past four days tracking the man down and had finally found him in a work camp in Arkansas. No one had any idea how Andrew had ended up there but he was here now and that was all that mattered. "And now, Mack, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Will Aton was the Black Overdrive Ranger. Before Will became a Ranger he was an expert covert spy. Andrew Hartford had Will break into his own safe in Brazil and was very impressed with Will's skills, choosing him as a Ranger. Will was at first hesitant about joining the team, stating that he preferred to work solo. He did join the team though and was thoroughly stoked about the enhancements to his DNA, which gave him super hearing and extraordinary eyesight. Mack helped Will become a better team player and Will helped break into Andrew Hartford's safe to retrieve Mack's Overdrive Tracker. In the final battle with the Overlord, Will saved Scott's life even though both were cut down a few minutes later." Xander walked up the steps again, with the butler, Spencer, right behind him. "And now, Will, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dax Lo was a Hollywood stuntman who was full of energy and enthusiasm though he desired to become more than a stuntman and be a leading star. He was super excited when Andrew offered him the chance to become a Ranger but was going to join the team in walking away. However, after he agreed to become a Power Ranger, he received the genetic enhancements that allowed him to jump high distances and bounce at a steady pace. After Flurious was defeated, Dax gave up his dream of being a star actor and decided he wanted to be a director. Dax was killed by one of the Overlord's goons while he was trying to protect Rose." Andrew Hartford returned to the stage with Flynn, who was twirling his gun between his fingers before bracing himself for the shot. "And now, Dax, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a smiling young woman with dirty-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Veronica Robinson preferred for everyone to call her Ronny. She was a champion stock car driver before Andrew Hartford chose her to become a Ranger because of her energy and fondness for fast cars. At first, Ronny didn't believe Andrew but, when the guardian of the Corona Aurora appeared before her, she quickly joined the team. Her genetic enhancement was super speed. At first, Ronny always wanted to win but Mack eventually showed her that winning wasn't everything and she let him have the Defender Vest. After the end of the mission and Mack's restoration to human, Ronny returned to stock car driving. Unfortunately, the world is never quiet for the Power Rangers and Ronny was kidnapped along with all the other girl Rangers by the Overlord. Ronny was drowned personally by the Overlord to set an example and show how serious he was about killing the girls. Her death spurred the guys to action." Kira trotted up the steps to the stage as Spencer walked up opposite her. He held a yellow rose. "And now, Ronny, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Rose Ortiz was a genius, simply put. She studied at Harvard and was working on robotics and other things at a British university when Andrew Hartford contacted her to be the pink Overdrive Ranger. Rose's gifts lay in the world of technology and she operated Andrew's computer system in the base under his mansion. After Rose received the powers of the pink Operation Overdrive Power Ranger, she gained genetic enhancements that allowed her to turn invisible. After their mission was complete and the Corona Aurora restored, Rose returned to teaching students at the university. She and Mack kept in touch and were developing a relationship that ran deeper than friendship when the Overlord found and took Rose. Mack was forced to sit on the sidelines and let others go to rescue her but he saved her in the end. Then he and Dax died trying to protect her. Right as the Overlord's minions were about to cut her to shreds, Carter blasted them into oblivion and Ryan stepped up to protect her. After the Overlord was defeated, Rose was the only survivor from her team. At first, she wanted to put away the Tracker, put away her powers, but she couldn't. As Xander and Dominic tried to get close to her, to give her friends as she dealt with her grief, she realized she couldn't just walk away. And then, in the end, Dominic gave his life for her, just as Mack and Dax had done. But it wasn't enough. She still died, though, when she did, she was at peace." Kira hadn't left the stage and she smiled as a young, blonde woman joined her. The woman's name was Vella and she had come in on a spaceship three days earlier. She knew the Rangers and had begged to be allowed to take part in their memorial. Now she held a pink rose in front of the crystal wall. "And now, Rose, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

Vella remained behind Captain Mitchell as a new picture flickered into existence over the stage. This one showed a man with chin-length, straight blonde hair. "Tyzonn wasn't from Earth. He was a Mercurian Intergalactic Emergency Responder. His job was to rescue people from danger. When he arrived on Earth, he ran into Moltor and was turned into a reptile creature. Mack befriended him and, with the help of the Sentinel Knight and two jewels from the Corona Aurora, was able to turn him back into his real self. They asked Tyzonn to join the team but he refused. Eventually, when the Rangers were at the mercy of the Fear Cats, Tyzonn joined them to save them. He then became the Mercury Ranger. Tyzonn found out his fiancé, who he had thought had died in a cave-in, was alive. He vowed to find her after his mission with the Rangers was complete. His search was ended when Vella showed up with Norg, who had rescued her from Flurious. Reunited, the two left to return to Mercury and plan for the future. Tyzonn didn't fight the Overlord with the others but, when the Psycho Rangers showed up and started disappearing the Rangers, Tyzonn didn't escape that fate. He was disappeared from Mercury and Vella traveled to Earth to find him. By the time she arrived, Venjix was in charge and so she lay low, fearing her one true love was dead. And so he was but she is here today, wanting to participate in the memorial." Vella inclined her head slightly as Ryan stepped up beside her on the stage. He handed her an orange rose and then took a few steps away from Vella and raised his Titanium Laser. "And now, Tyzonn, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

Vella and Ryan took their seats as another picture revolved slowly on the stage. This photo depicted a young woman with wavy blonde hair. "Lily Chilman was a Pai Zhuq student when Dai Shi returned. She was laid-back and reserved and kind. She could be extremely stubborn sometimes and didn't like staying still. Before she joined the Pai Zhuq Academy, Lily was the head cheerleader at her high school and a very talented street dancer. Master Mao chose her after she passed her last test to become the Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger. Lily saw Casey as a younger brother and was very protective of him, something that showed very much when he was taken by the Overlord and she was the only one who could find him. Lily had the animal spirit of the Cheetah and learned the Elephant technique from Master Phant. She also gained the Penguin spirit from Master Guinn and Jungle Master Mode. When Dai Shi kidnapped Casey, Lily fought hard to get him back, even accepting help from Trent, Connor and Kira of the Dino Thunder Rangers. She and Hunter finally found Casey and Lily felt an instant connection with the Crimson Thunder Ranger. Before she could begin to explore those feelings, she was kidnapped by the Overlord and Hunter came after her, realizing that, even though they'd only known each other for a short time, he loved her. After they defeated the Overlord, the Jungle Fury Rangers returned to Ocean Bluff and defeated Dai Shi and earned their Master Stripes. Lily and Hunter started to date and then Lily disappeared." Hunter stepped onto the stage as Master Phant stepped in front of the wall, yellow rose in his hand. "And now, Lily, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next photo was an image of an Asian boy with spiky black hair and a serious expression. "Theo Martin was a confident and bossy young man who always wanted to be in charge. Master Mao chose Theo to be a guardian of Dai Shi but after Dai Shi was released, Theo went with Casey and Lily to Ocean Bluff where he became the blue Jungle Fury Ranger. Theo had to overcome his feelings of jealousy where Casey and Lily were concerned and become the best Ranger he could be. He had the spirit of the Jaguar and learned the Bat technique from Master Swoop. Then, he gained the Antelope Animal Spirit and Jungle Master Mode. Theo's Jaguar was taken from him by Dai Shi after Dai Shi captured Casey but he eventually got it back. Theo was killed in the final battle with the Overlord." Master Swoop and Lewin. Master Swoop held Casey's Drive Defender. Lewin held a rose that was dripping in blue dye. "And now, Theo, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Robert James was probably the most mellow guy ever. He liked to go by RJ and, after Master Mao was defeated, became the Rangers' new Master. RJ also owned Jungle Karma Pizza and was the Rangers' boss as well. He built much of the Rangers' arsenal but said he was not one to fight, though he possessed the Wolf animal spirit. RJ surrendered himself to Dai Shi and was forced to fight against Dai Shi and his Lion Spirit in a cage match. Even though Dai Shi did not succeed in stealing RJ's wolf spirit, the spirit was tainted, causing RJ to turn into a werewolf spontaneously and lose control of himself. RJ gained control over his wolf spirit and became the Wolf Ranger, though he had a relapse due to some of Grizzaka's spirits. RJ rescued Flit and, with the fly's help, fought and defeated his werewolf side, becoming the Wolf Ranger for good. RJ was killed fighting the Overlord and wasn't there to see his students defeat Dai Shi once and for all." Master Finn and Casey advanced from the seats to the stage and Master Finn took his place in front of the crystal, holding a purple rose. "And now, RJ, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dominic wasn't an original Ranger. He wasn't even at the Pai Zhuq Academy with Casey, Lily and Theo. Master Mao had sent him off six years ago to find his path and he had been traveling the world since then. Then he returned to Ocean Bluff and played a harmless prank on the Rangers, posing as a health inspector. That's how Dom was – playful and a practical joker. Then he saw the Rangers fighting and decided he'd found his path. But the Rangers don't want him on the team, thinking he sees everything as a game and RJ tells him he can't join until they want him. Dom plans to leave, even with Fran telling him that he will be missed. Dom ended up saving Fran's life and Casey invited him to join the team. Dom became the Rhino Ranger and traveled to the Rhino Nexus with the Control Dagger to find the Rhino Zord. When Dai Shi captures Casey, Dom was one of the first to be captured as well. His Rhino Spirit was taken from him but he got it back in the end. He then fought long and hard to rescue the girls and returned with Casey and Lily to defeat Dai Shi. The other two gained their Master Stripes but that path wasn't for Dominic. He asked Fran to join him on a backpacking trip through Europe, but before they could leave, the Psycho Rangers showed up and vanished over half of the Rangers. Dominic became very protective of Rose, calling her Rosie and trying to keep her safe. He fought hard and in the end, sacrificed himself to save her." Casey took the steps to the stage two at a time as Fran followed behind him a bit slower. She held a white rose. "And now, Dominic, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Scott Truman wasn't from 2009, the year when he and the other RPM Rangers were sent back into the past to suffer at the hands of the Overlord. In 2012, this year, the year Scott was from, he was a former military pilot with the codename of Eagle 2. A year ago, Scott barely made it into Corinth City, with the help of Summer. He was made leader of the Power Rangers and the red RPM Ranger. Scott's biosuit allows him to tap into the Morphing Grid and create a 3-second burst of energy. Scott does rash things all the time, sometimes disobeying his father. Finally, though, he came to realize disobeying his father was wrong. Venjix used a Time Bot to send Scott and the other Rangers back in time to January of 2009, believing they would be destroyed. And Scott was killed in the final battle with the Overlord. Andrew Hartford and Alpha 6 made some adjustments to the morphing grid so that Scott's death would be registered as occurring the day after they were transported into the past. That way, no one would know that Scott had been killed in the past so that the timeline would remain intact." Casey was still on the stage and Colonel Truman joined him, carrying a red rose. "And now, Scott, we honor you for your bravery and your courage."

"Summer Landsdown was the spoiled, selfish daughter of the rich Landsdown family. It wasn't until her butler, Andrews, was killed trying to get her to safety during the onslaught of the Venjix invasion that she came to her senses and realized she was a good person. She arrived safely in Corinth City, only to put on a paramedic's uniform and go out to save Scott. They returned to Corinth City and Summer made a deal with her parents that they would leave her alone for a year. She became the yellow RPM Ranger. Summer spearheaded the attempt to get Dillon released from jail and onto the Ranger team. Over the next couple of months, Summer fell in love with Dillon. Her powers give her the ability to read energy signatures and translate that into energy bursts. Summer was sent into the past by Tenaya and tortured by the Overlord. Dillon rescued her and the two finally declared their love for each other. They were returned to their present but, in a few days, were vanished." Kira and Summer's mother climbed the steps to the stage. Summer positioned a yellow rose against the crystal. "And now, Summer, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a young man with unruly brown curls. "Ziggy Grover found Dillon out in the deserts around Corinth City and directed him on how to get into Corinth City. The two became friends and Dillon became a Ranger on the one condition that Ziggy get out of jail with him. Ziggy took it upon himself to find the new green Ranger and found a girl he thought would be perfect. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was Tenaya 7 in disguise and the only way Ziggy could keep the Rev morpher out of Venjix's hands was to bond with it. So he did and became the new Green RPM Ranger. Ziggy and Dr. K had a rocky relationship but she was very fond of him, without letting him know it. Ziggy's biggest way to entertain himself was with shadow puppets. Ziggy fought against the Overlord when he and the other Rangers were transported back in time and was disappeared a few days after they returned." Dr. K walked up the steps with Flynn and took a green flower from the blue RPM Ranger. Tears stained her face but she held her head high as Flynn took aim with his Turbo Cannon. "And now, Ziggy, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

The next picture showed two people, twins, one a guy and one a girl. "Gem and Gemma. Twin prodigies of Alphabet Soup. They were the original testers for the Ranger bio-suits. When Venjix attacked, they helped Dr. K get to safety and then returned for the biosuits. They escaped from the crumbling Alphabet Soup building by morphing into the Gold and Silver RPM Rangers. After they saved the Rangers in Omega City, they joined the RPM team. Gem and Gemma finished each other's sentences and were rarely apart. Both were cheery and optimistic and loved to see things explode. Gem saved Gemma when she was captured by the Overlord in the past. They returned triumphant to the future only to be vanished a few days later." Dr. K hadn't left the stage and now Hunter and Zhane joined her. She held two flowers, one gold and one silver. She held the silver one up to the crystal wall. "And now, Gemma, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." A shot from Zhane's Silverizer splashed the silver dye onto the wall. "And now, Gem, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Hunter's Crimson Blaster sent gold dye splattering onto the crystal.

Another picture appeared. This one showed a young man with a brooding expression and dark hair. "Dillon. Ziggy found him driving around looking for Corinth City and the two managed to defeat Venjix's defenses and get into the city. Dillon saved Summer and she fought for his release from jail. Because of his heroics, bravery and ability, he was asked to join the Power Rangers and took up the mantle of Series Operator Black. His connection to the morphing grid enabled him to perform five-second bursts of shielding. Dillon had Venjix hardware all throughout his body that was slowly taking over. He carried around a musical locket with a key that activated a tune. Gem and Gemma recognized the tune as one that a blind prisoner in the same camp as them had been singing. The woman had told them that her grandfather had given the locket to her brother. Dillon went looking for her and found another key that, when joined in the locket with the other one, the tune would play. It turned out to be the tune that Tenaya always whistled. Dillon fairly easily came to believe that Tenaya was his sister but she took some convincing. Once convinced, she turned her back on Venjix and helped the Rangers. Unfortunately, she was kidnapped and reprogrammed to serve Venjix as Tenaya 15. Soon after that, the Rangers were sent back in time and Dillon rescued Summer. They returned to 2012 and Dillon set about trying to rescue his sister again. But he was vanished before he could. However, in the last battle with Venjix, Flynn captured Tenaya and Dr. K was able to restore her humanity." Captain Mitchell looked at Flynn expectantly. Flynn glanced around him then looked slowly back at Captain Mitchell and shook his head. He stood and walked to the stage as Dr. K got up from her chair. But before Dr. K could make it to the steps, a figure stepped into the aisle between the chairs. It was Tenaya. She walked towards the stage and took the black rose from Dr. K. Then she walked past Flynn towards the crystal wall. "Glad you made it," Flynn whispered. "Almost didn't." Tenaya hissed back. Flynn raised his Turbo Cannon. "And now, Dillon, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

Tenaya headed back to her seat and Flynn stepped to the microphone. "Well, we'd like to thank all of you for coming-"

But his words were cut off by a sudden roaring sound. He looked out at the crowd and saw that everyone of the people were on their feet, clapping and shouting. There were shouts of "You go, Rangers!" and "Thank you, Rangers!" and "Way to go, Casey!" and "You rock, Flynn!" and everything else. It was a standing ovation. Then the crowd began to chant. "Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers." Casey, Xander, Kira, Hunter, Ryan and Zhane joined Flynn on stage and stood there as the people expressed their thanks. Finally, after what felt like forever, the crowd sat back down and the guys stepped to the side of the stage as Kira retrieved her guitar.

"A final tribute." Kira started to strum and leaned into the microphone. "I wrote this for Mack's, Shane's and Cam's funerals. Now I guess it fits for all of them. We'll miss you, guys." She paused and then began singing quietly.

"Where have you gone, how could you leave me? Said you'd always be there, never let go. And now you're gone, never to return, not coming back and where do I go from here?

"I waited by the window watching for you to come up the walk. I knew you wouldn't lie to me that you wouldn't leave me but now my doubts creep in. Cause now you're gone, never to return, not coming back and where do I go from here?"

Flynn stepped up beside her for the last verse, his Scottish accent perfectly complementing her. They sang with all their heart.

"Is this the end is this goodbye is this where we part ways? I can't believe, don't want to believe that this is it but in my heart you will always be with me. So now you're gone, never to return, not coming back. I must go on from here."

After the last note faded away, Colonel Truman raised his radio and said one word. "Now." And the great spotlight that had been installed behind the crystal wall sprang to life.

The crowd ooohed and ahhhed. The dye that had been shot onto the wall, the dye that represented each of the fallen Rangers, had formed a picture. The picture showed the outlines of six people, four tall and two smaller. Each one was a different color: red, black, blue, pink, yellow and multi-colored. But there was more than just the five figures. At the end of the line was a smaller outline. It was a little girl with pigtails, her hand clasped in the hand of the pink figure. Her outline had been created with different colored dyes, with purple and green, with silver and gold. And, above the picture was an engraving.

MAY THE POWER THAT PROTECTED US LIVE ON FOREVER.

MAY THEIR SACRIFICES NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

FOR THEM, WE GIVE THANKS.

And, as the crowd began to disperse, the Rangers gathered together one last time, with their kids or their friends' kids and took a few minutes…to just remember.

**Author's Note: So did you like that ending? I'm thinking there might be some kind of epilogue for this ending, not sure on that one. There will also be the second ending, but honestly, after this ending, the ending I thought wouldn't be my favorite, I don't think the other one can measure up. It'll be good but I really liked this ending. I thought the memorial was cool and also kind of a tribute to the Rangers. As I said at the beginning of this chapter, I'll be editing the other chapters so things line up with who got married and had kids and all that stuff. Cause none of that was supposed to happen but it did. Crazy, huh? Anyway, I know it was long but I hope you liked it. Please, whether you did or not, please review. Just so I can know people are reading! See you in the epilogue or the next ending!**


	22. 1st Ending: Leavetaking

**Author's Note: This is something I just wanted to write for the 1****st**** ending of the story. It doesn't fit in in any one place, it's more a conglomeration of little stories. But it made me sad to write it. I hope you'll like it; please read and review!!**

**Shortly Before the Psychos Invaded Tommy's Lab**

Hunter walked into Ninja Ops, his movements hurried, his pace quick. He knew he didn't have much time; he'd told Xander that if push came to shove, to call him. There was no telling how long it would be before the Psychos staged another attack. But there was something he had to take care of first.

When he walked down the stairs into the underground base, he nearly tripped over something crawling past his feet. With a laugh, Hunter swooped down and swept a little boy into his arms. He held him up high in the air and then lowered him to rest against his shoulder. Tears crept their way into Hunter's eyes as he thought about why he was in Ninja Ops.

"Hello, Hunter. What brings you here?" an older man looked up from the computer as Hunter walked up behind him. The man reached out to pat Andrew on the back as Hunter rocked slowly back and forth from one foot to the other. The little boy, Blake and Tori's little boy, laid his head down on Hunter's shoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth.

"Tori was killed this morning, Sensei." Hunter's tone was matter-of-fact. He didn't let himself dwell on the tragedy, knowing that if he did, the tears would start in full-force and he'd have no way to still the tide. His Sensei already knew about Blake's disappearance and he understood at once why Hunter was there.

"It would seem little Andrew is then an orphan." Sensei turned back to face the computer and Hunter peered over his shoulder, seeing that Cam's father had a map of Mariner Bay up on the screen.

Hunter bristled. "I don't intend to leave him without a family, Sensei. But…I need to make sure he's safe. There's a battle coming and I don't know if it will be possible for me to survive." He smiled a wolfish grin, full of teeth and little humor. "It's my intention to come back and be Andrew's family but, in the meantime, I need to know if I can leave him here, with you, until I come back. Will he be safe here?"

The little boy had fallen asleep on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter walked over to the small crib on one side of Ninja Ops and laid Andrew down inside. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring on a chain. The ring was from a motocross championship Blake had won just a few months ago. He laid it carefully in the bed with Andrew. "Well, Sensei?" Hunter asked without looking back up.

"I do not know how safe he will be here, Hunter. It is possible that the Psycho Rangers could find Ninja Ops. And, if something were to happen, I don't know how much protection I could offer Andrew. I'm an old man, Hunter."

Hunter spun to face the Ninja Master. "You're a Ninja Master! If you can't protect Tori's son, who can?" He raked his fingers through his hair and the pain he was feeling became evident on his face. "I promised her, Sensei. Her last words before she died. 'Take care of Andrew.' I don't know who else to turn to, Sensei."

"Luckily, I do." Sensei pointed at the computer screen. "I used to be friends with Bill Mitchell. Long story. Anyway, he used to run a huge operation out of Mariner Bay called Lightspeed Rescue; I'm sure you've met the Lightspeeed Rangers?" Hunter nodded mutely; he didn't know where Sensei was going with this, but he didn't have much time. "Well, he has been secretly rebuilding the Aquabase after it was destroyed in their last battle nine years ago. I had a terrible feeling that I would be asked to protect Andrew and so I contacted Bill. He has agreed to take Andrew in with him in the Aquabase and keep him safe for as long as needed. The Aquabase is heavily fortified. I understand his granddaughter will also be there. Will that be satisfactory? I will take him there as soon as you leave."

Hunter hesitated for just a second before nodding. "That will be good. Thanks, Sensei. Now…I really have to go. My friends need me." He turned back to the crib. "See ya later, Andrew. I love you."

Then he turned and jogged out of Ninja Ops before he could turn around and just give it all up, surrender to his feelings and stay with his nephew for the rest of the fight.

**Shortly Before the Psychos Invaded Tommy's Lab**

Wes hadn't gone straight back to the lab with Eric and Hunter. Instead, he had taken his Time Cycle to Silver City, about twenty miles away. He knew time was short, but he also knew that this wasn't something he could put off till later. When he pulled into his father's driveway, he parked in a rush and ran to the doorway. His father answered the doorbell and seemed genuinely surprised to see Wes there.

"Wes! What are you doing here? Is everything okay?" Mr. Collins motioned for his son to come inside and shut the door behind them.

_I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry_, Wes ordered himself. Still, his voice was choked up as he looked at his father and said, "Jen disappeared. She's dead, Dad. And I don't know that I'll make it much longer."

Just then, a little boy ran down the stairs, his arms open wide and his bare feet pattering on the floor. "Daddy!" he shouted as he ran to Wes and jumped into his Daddy's arms. The little boy brushed his black hair out of his eyes and looked seriously into Wes' face. "Daddy, where have you been? I missed you."

A tear, unbidden, leaked out of Wes' eye as he squeezed his son in a tight hug. "I've been trying to save the world, kiddo." He set the boy down and knelt so that they were on eye level. "Listen, son, I need you to do Daddy something very brave, okay?" The boy's attention started to wander and Wes set his hands on his son's shoulders. "Sky, listen to me. I need you to listen. Okay?"

Sky nodded. "What's wrong, Daddy? Where's Mommy?"

That did it. Tears started to make their way down Wes' face and his voice broke as he looked into his son's eyes. "Sky, please, I don't have much time. A friend of mine is on his way here to pick you up. You're going to go on a vacation with him and his granddaughter and maybe a few more of my friend's kids. Remember Ms. Dana and Mr. Carter?" Sky nodded slowly. "Their daughter is going with you. It'll be like a big party, okay? And you might be the oldest, 'cause my friend's granddaughter, she's not even one yet. So you have to be brave. Please, son, can you be brave for me?"

Sky's expression turned grave. "But where are you going, Daddy? I want to go with you."

Wes gathered his son into a hug and buried his face in Sky's curly, black hair. "I'm going to fight with the rest of my Power Ranger friends. But I don't know when I'll be coming back." _Or if I'll come back,_ he added to himself, "So I need you to go with my friend Mr. Mitchell when he comes and be a good boy for Mommy and Daddy, okay? Do you understand?"

Sky nodded and then hugged Wes tightly one more time and stepped back. "I'll be brave, Daddy. 'Cause I'm three. That means I'm a big boy." He paused and then added, "I love you, Daddy."

Wes stood to his feet and looked at his father. Then back at his son. "I love you, too, Sky." As he turned to face his father, he heard his son's small feet running out of the room.

"Dad, if, after all this, I die, make sure someone takes care of him, okay? You or, if he survives, Casey Rhodes. He's the only other one I trust with my son. I'd say Eric, but, if I die, I don't know how much longer Eric will survive. Promise me, Dad."

Mr. Collins nodded and, abruptly, reached forward and pulled Wes into a hug. "I know I don't say it enough, Son, but I love you. Be safe."

Wes was sobbing now. "I love you too, Dad." He headed for the door but, before he made it, a little voice called after him. He turned around.

Sky stood there, pulling on his Power Ranger pajamas and holding his real Time Force blaster that his Mommy had given him. "Daddy, wait!" he shouted.

"What, baby? What is it?" Wes moved back towards his son.

"I'm gonna go with you, Daddy! I can hep you fight and you'll be okay!" Sky's quivering voice showed how much he understood about the chances of his Daddy's survival.

Wes thought his knees were going to give out. He knelt once more in front of his son and put his hand on the barrel of the gun. "You can't go with me, son. Remember, I need you to help Mr. Mitchell protect Ryan. Ok? Now, I have to go, Sky."

Sky nodded sadly and slowly lowered the gun. "I love you, Daddy."

Wes was at the door before he found his voice to respond. "I love you too, Sky."

Then he was gone.

**On the Way to the Plaza to Face the Psychos**

Jason sat in the passenger seat of Tommy's Jeep. Eric was driving and Kimberly sat behind him. He had his cell phone out and was twisted around, looking at Kim. She had worry in her eyes, worry that Jason knew was reflected in his own expression.

"You figure out what we should do yet?" Jason asked as calmly as he could. Eric was pointedly ignoring their conversation and Billy was involved in some technological apparatus on his lap.

"What Zhane said, I guess. You just gotta call Ernie and see if he'll take them to the spaceport. But we need to hurry because Zhane said the Astro Megaship will be leaving any minute now." Kim tried to make her expression neutral but Jason could see right through her façade, after ten years of marriage.

Jason nodded and punched in the number for Ernie's cell phone. It rang four times and then his friend picked up. "Hey, Jason, how's it going, man? You ready to come get the squirts?"

"We're not squirts! We're cute!" Jason heard one of his daughters say. Over the phone, it was impossible to determine whether it was Carleigh or Anna.

Jason grinned but a sobering thought soon struck him. _Would he ever see his children again?_ He shook his head slightly and focused his thoughts. "Ernie, I need you to do me a favor. Listen, you know that Kim and I are Power Rangers. You knew that when we asked you to watch Anna and Carleigh a few days ago. And now, I need a bigger favor."

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the phone and then Ernie's voice, hesitant but calm. "What's up, Jase? Is something going on, something I should know about?"

"This could be it, Ernie. The final battle, the one where Kim and I don't come back. And we need to be sure, before we let ourselves fight for real, that our kids are safe. Don't get me wrong – we don't plan on dying. But, just in case, you know?"

"Yeah. You want me just to keep them with me? Or did you have another plan in mind?"

"You remember Skull, right? He's on his way to your house right now, to take the girls to the NASADA spaceport. There they'll get on the Astro Megaship with my friend Zhane's kids. And DECA will take them to Mirinoi. Just make sure they're ready to go when Skull gets there, please." Jason raised his eyes to Kim and saw the pain in her expression. "Can you do that for me, Ernie?"

"Sure I can, Jase." Ernie paused. "Do you want to talk to them real quick, before they leave?"

"That'd be good. Let me put the phone on speaker." Jase manipulated a few buttons on the cell and held it towards Kim. He waited a second and then said, "Anna? Carleigh? You there?"

"Hey, Daddy!" Now that her voice was clearer, he knew that it was Anna. "Daddy, guess what me and Carleigh did today? We played Power Ranger, Daddy! I was Mommy and Carleigh was you! And we beat Rita Repulsa and won! It was tons of fun, Daddy!"

Now Carleigh was crowding around the phone, too. "Daddy! Is Mommy there? I miss you guys, Daddy. When are you coming to get us?" She lowered her voice, though it was still loud and Jason knew Ernie was close enough to hear everything she said. "Mr. Ernie's fun, Daddy, but he's not you. He doesn't let me watch Wonder Pets when I want to, Daddy. When are you coming home?"

Kimberly spoke up, tears sliding slowly down her face. "We don't know right now, baby. But guess what? You and Carleigh are going to go on an adventure! In a spaceship! Doesn't that sound fun?"

Carleigh shouted her excitement but Anna was silent. She was the more introspective of the two and she knew when things weren't as good as they seemed. "But you and Daddy are coming to get us, right, Mommy?" she asked.

Kim looked at Jason with a scared look. She mouthed "What do I say?" Jason shrugged. Kim cleared her throat. "We're going to do our best, sweetie. But we're on our way to save the world, Anna and so we need to go. I need you to be a big girl and look after your sister, okay?"

Carleigh started to protest but Jason put on his Daddy-voice and said, "No buts, Carleigh. You two need to get along and be good. Mr. Skull is going to be there pretty soon and take you guys to the spaceship. I love you, okay?"

"I love you too, sweetie. Both of you. Be brave, okay?" Kim buried her face in her hands and her shoulders started to shake. Casey was sitting beside her and he put his arm around her shoulders.

Jason ended the phone call shortly after that and turned back to face the front, tears on his own face. Eric looked over at him. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Jason nodded. Eric smiled sadly. "I left my two little girls on the Animarium without a good-bye. Didn't have time. And there's no phone up there. So I have no way to get in touch with them. They'll be okay though."

Jason looked at him. "Eric, man, you need to call them."

Eric shrugged. "I left a note with Spencer. They'll get it if I don't make it out." He didn't speak again and the four rode in silence the rest of the way.

**Before Leo Left Mirinoi**

Leo took Mike aside, after he'd searched the entire camp three times for Kendrix. "Something's happened to Kendrix, Mike. I don't know what's going on but something tells me I need to fear the worst. And so I have to go to Earth to find her. Or at least find out what happened to her. So I need you to do me a favor, okay?"

Mike looked into his brother's face intently, then smiled. "You want me to watch Jess and Jake, don't you? Keep them safe, no matter what. You know you don't have to ask me that, bro. Those are my niece and nephew. I would never let anything happen to them."

Leo's calm expression faltered for just a second and Mike saw the true fear and pain that was in Leo's heart. But then the calm mask was back and he nodded. "Yeah, Mike, I want to know that they're safe. So you'll do it? You'll keep them safe, no matter what? As if they were your own kids?"

Mike nodded. "I swear."

Just then, a five-year-old boy with brown hair that went up in spikes in the front ran into the clearing, a little girl with dark blonde hair chasing him. The boy saw Leo and made a beeline for him.

"Daddy, tell her to leave me alone! I don't wanna play with Jessie right now! She's too little to do what I want to do." Jake's lips went out into a pout and he planted his fists on his hips. Leo forced a smile as tears swam in his eyes.

"Jessie, if Jake doesn't want to play right now, then leave him alone, okay, sweetheart? Now, listen, I have something very important to tell you two." He reached down and picked Jess up, settling her on his lap. Jake refused to get on his lap but stood closer. Leo looked each one in the eye. "I've got to go on a trip, okay, guys? I've gotta go get Mommy. But I'll be back real soon and we'll play with the Galactabeasts, okay? While I'm gone, Uncle Mike is in charge. What he says goes, do you understand?" They nodded and Jessie placed her hand on Leo's cheek.

"But where did Mommy go, Daddy? Why didn't want to stay with us? I'm a fun girl." Jessie looked at Leo seriously, wanting a serious answer.

There was no holding back the tears now. "Mommy didn't leave because she didn't want to stay with you. It's just…Ranger stuff, babe. But we'll be back. And, until we do, Uncle Mike will take care of you."

Jake wiped angrily at his eyes. "I don't want you to be a Ranger anymore, Daddy. Not if you have to leave me. And Jessie. She's 'nnoying when you're not here."

Leo smiled through his tears. "Me too, buddy. After this, maybe we can quit. But until then, I have to go find Mommy. You and your sister be good for Mike, promise?" Jake and Jessie nodded and Leo kissed each one on the cheek before getting up and striding off towards the Quasar Sabers. He refused to look back, knowing that if he saw his kids one more time, he would stay. And he couldn't afford not to go.

**Right After the Vanishings**

Xander held a small baby in his arms as he walked up the long driveway to the Hartford's manor. He knew that Mr. Hartford was the only one there, except maybe for Spencer, because Rose was on her way to the Dino Thunder Lab.

The front door was unlocked and so Xander let himself in. "Mr. Hartford?" he called. "Mr. Hartford, are you here?"

"In here, Xander." Came the reply from the billiard room. Xander walked into the room, trying not to jostle the baby and not drop the large bag of baby stuff on his shoulder. "What can I do for you?" Mr. Hartford didn't look good. He looked tired and not very healthy.

"I need a favor. This is Nick and Madison Russell's kid, Lee. Both of his parents are dead and I need somewhere safe for him to stay in case something bad goes wrong. I figured you might know of someone who could keep him safe if you couldn't do it yourself." Xander held his breath, hoping that Mr. Hartford would be able to help him.

"I can't keep him. I'm leaving to go to Europe. I can't stay here after…well, I just can't stay here." Mr. Hartford dropped his gaze to the floor and Xander sighed and turned to go. Mr. Hartford's voice stopped him. "But I do know where to take him so he'll be safe."

"Where? I don't have much time. Everyone's disappearing and I could be next. I need to make sure he's going to be okay. I promised."

"A place called the Aquabase. You know the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers?" Xander nodded. "We can take him there; I know that Captain Mitchell will have a place he can stay. And it's well-defended and armed."

Xander looked at Mr. Hartford with pleading in his eyes. "Could you take him there for me? I have to get to Dr. Oliver's lab and find out what's going on."

There was a pause and then Mr. Hartford sighed. "Yes, I can. Give him to me."

So Xander handed over little Lee and then, after a few minutes of more talking, he turned and left, hoping to survive and be able to take care of the little boy after the fights were over.

**Right Before His Death**

Eric knew he didn't have much time. They were leaving in five minutes. But he also knew he might never see his daughters again. And so he wanted to leave a note. Just something short, but something that told them how much he didn't want to leave them. So he decided to write two notes, two short notes.

Dear Shay and Sydney,

It's your Daddy. I'm not going to get to call you or see you again before I leave for a big battle but I just wanted to let you know I love you. I'm going to fight the bad guys to save the world, you know that, right? Save the world to keep you guys safe. And I'm going with some new friends of mine, some other Rangers. Jason, Kimberly, Casey, Zhane and Ryan. We'll keep each other safe. But we have to stop these guys now. Or it could be bad for everyone. I want to call you two sweethearts before I leave but you're on the Animarium and I don't have a Growwl Phone. So I can't. But I'll leave this note with Spencer. He can give it to you if I can't give it to you myself. I love you Shay-bear. I love you, Syd. You two are the most wonderful girls a guy could ask for. You'll never know how much I want to run from this battle but I can't. I have to fight. I gotta go. I love you both. Be good for Princess Shayla. Shay, stay out of the Eaglezord. Syd, don't mess with the Q-Rex – he's not a toy. I love you.

Love,

Daddy

Eric tore the piece of paper from his notebook and folded it in half. Then, he took another sheet and began to scribble frantically.

Dear Shay and Syd,

If you're reading this note, than I'm dead. I want you to know that I never wanted to leave you. I didn't want to fight. But these Psycho Rangers had vanished Taylor, your Mommy. And so I left you guys on the Animarium to find her. In the end, I couldn't find her. So we had to fight to destroy the Psychos before they could kill anymore of us. Casey, Ryan, Zhane, Jason, Kimberly and I went to battle them in the end. I guess it didn't turn out quite like we'd hoped. But I hope you don't hold it against me that I left you. Because I will always be with you and so will Mommy. When the Eaglezord soars over the grass of the Animarium, that's your Mom, stretching her wings. And when the Q-Rex gets angry, that's me, haha. But promise me you won't be mad at me for leaving you. 'Cause I didn't want to. And make me another promise: take care of Wes and Jen's Sky. He doesn't understand why Wes would pick being a Ranger over him. I know you two are smart enough to understand. Be his friends. And always remember that I love you more than life itself. If I could just leave it all behind, I would. But I can't; they're counting on me. I have to go. I love you, Syd. I love you, Shay.

Love,

Daddy

"Eric!" Casey. "Come on, let's go!"

Eric folded up the second sheet and wrote "In the event of my death, give to Syd and Shay Meyers." On the other one, he wrote "For Syd and Shay Meyers, as soon as possible." Then he called back, "Coming!"

On his way to the front of the house, he found Spencer and asked the butler to keep the letters and, as soon as it was possible, to give the first one to his daughters. He also made the butler promise to only give them the second letter if he died. Then he ran to join the others as the Walking Dead made their way out of the house.


	23. 1st Ending: See Ya Later

Ryan and his niece, his namesake, sat atop a small hill, looking out at the graceful sloping hills of Corinth City's rural district. Ryan glanced over at little Ryan. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her chin rested on her knees. Then she must have felt Ryan's gaze on her so she tilted her head slightly to look back at him.

"What was it like, Ry? In the Aquabase?" Ryan set his hand on her knee.

She was silent for a minute before answering. "It was scary, Uncle Ryan. Grandpa wouldn't tell me if Mommy and Daddy were dead. He carried guns wit' him everywhere. And he spent a lot of time teachin' Sky how to fight. He wouldn't tell us what was going on; just that we couldn't leave. It was real scary, Uncle Ryan."

Ryan slid closer to his niece and wrapped his arm around her. "I'm sorry, Ry. I'm sorry you had to go through that and not know about your Mommy and Daddy. I'm sorry you were afraid."

"It's ok, Uncle Ryan. I'm not sorry. Grandpa kept me safe. And I made a new friend! Sky and me are best buddies now. And Lee and Andrew were fun to play with too. Once they could walk." Ryan stopped talking and waited for a moment before saying slowly, "I miss Mommy. And Daddy. Why did they have to leave me?"

Ryan thought he could feel his heart splitting into pieces as he looked at her face, so innocent and yet so hurt. "They didn't want to leave you, sweetheart. But they were Power Rangers and it was their job to protect the people of Earth, and especially you. Didn't your Grandpa tell you that?"

His niece nodded. "Yeah, he did. But, Uncle Ryan, couldn't they choose _not _to be Power Rangers? Didn't they want to stay with me?" Her expression was so earnest, Ryan nearly started crying again right then.

"They wanted nothing more in the world than to stay with you, Ry. But they knew that they had to destroy the evil or the evil might survive to find you. And you know what, Ry? You know what they did do for you?" Ryan scooted around so that he was directly facing the girl. She shrugged and pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "They made sure you would be taken care of if they didn't make it. Dana made me promise that I would love you like my own daughter and take care of you. And that's what I'm going to do. I love you, Ryan, and I'm never going to let you go."

Little Ryan jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Ryan's neck. "That makes me happy, Uncle Ryan! Know why?"

He shook his head and hugged her back, as tightly as he could. "No, I don't, baby. Why does that make you happy?"

"'Cause you and I have the same name, Uncle Ryan! I'm a Ryan," she pointed to herself and then to Ryan, "and you're a Ryan! So we hafta stick together!" She paused and her voice softened when she spoke again. "I love you, Uncle Ryan. A whole lot. And I'm glad you're here with me."

Ryan chuckled. "I love you too, sweetie. Now, why don't you run find Sky and play with him some? Maybe the two of you can take Lee and Andrew to the park." He shook his finger at her. "But, if you do go to the park, make sure you get one of the older kids to go with you – Jessie or Jake or Carleigh. And take a morpher." The little girl was already running off as Ryan called after her, "And be back by dark!"

A low laugh came from behind him and Ryan reacted, leaping to his feet and spinning around, raising his fists and ready for anything. Another man stood behind him, a man Ryan had become close to over the past four years.

Flynn raised his hands and laughed again. "Easy, Ryan. It's just me." He walked over and took little Ryan's recently vacated seat. Then he looked over at Ryan and smiled. "How's she doing? She gotten used to your eye patch, yet?"

Ryan remembered seeing his seven-year-old niece's face when she'd arrived at Dr. K's lab with Captain Mitchell. She'd taken one look at his scar and screamed, screamed that she didn't know who Ryan was and why was he trying to hug her and where was her Mommy and Daddy? Now they were growing closer and closer, but she still didn't like it when he went out without his eye patch. She said his hurt eye was scary. Ryan joined in with Flynn's laughter. "She's okay. She misses Carter and Dana but she's adjusting. We're going to be fine; we're moving to Mariner Bay to stay with my Dad in the Aquabase. And, yeah, she's finally gotten used to my eye. Likes the advantage it gives her in darts." He laughed again. "Feels good to laugh, doesn't it? I thought I'd never laugh again."

"Me too." Another voice came from behind them and Casey joined them on the hilltop. "You know, there were times when I didn't think we'd even make it. But we did. And we got Connor out safely, too." He elbowed Flynn in the stomach. "Plus, we made some crazy awesome friends."

Ryan leaned around Flynn to look at Casey. "We would never have made it without you, ya know, Case. Everyone of us knew you weren't eating. And we knew you wouldn't have eaten even if we'd made some big stink out of it." Ryan grinned. "And, man, I'm sorry I bagged on you so much for keeping our morphers and telling us not to morph. I know that you only did it so we'd stay alive. Thanks for that."

Casey waved a hand dismissively. "It's no big deal. The important thing is that we all got out okay. And evil is defeated. For now, anyway. So you're headed back to Mariner Bay, Ryan? That's awesome. I'm glad you'll get some time to be with that little girl. What about you, Flynn? Where are you headed?"

Before Flynn could answer, two more sets of footsteps were heard behind them. Ryan turned and saw Kira and Xander cresting the top of the hill. And, behind them, he could see Hunter and Zhane. The whole gang, together again with no kids for the first time since the last battle. The four of them sat down on the hill and there was silence for a long moment. Then Zhane said quietly, "So this is it, huh? Almost five years, more death than I had ever wanted to see, and new friends, it's finally over. We're all going our separate ways. I mean, I'm going to Angel Grove with Rachel and Jackson to help rebuild."

Hunter nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm headed to Blue Bay Harbor to help the Ninja Schools get back on their feet. Sensei and I are going to start Andrew's training soon. That kid; sometimes, I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

Xander laughed and punched him in the arm. "You know you love being an Uncle, Hunter." Hunter shrugged and Xander draped an arm around Kira's shoulders. "We're headed to Briarwood with Toby, Nikki and Leelee. We'll be living at Rootcore and trying to help both the human and the magical communities rebuild. Carson, Connor and Lee are excited, too."

"And we're going to work with Cassidy and Devin in Reefside. Right, babe?" Kira turned and planted a quick kiss on Xander's forehead. The two were engaged now that the Venjix occupation was over and, until they got married, Kira, Carson and Connor were going to live in Dr. Oliver's old house in Reefside – after they fixed it up of course. Then they would move to Rootcore with Xander and Lee.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. I'm taking Ryan to my Dad's Aquabase in Mariner Bay. And that's about a hundred miles from here. And pretty far from the rest of you, too. I mean, Flynn, you're staying here, right?"

Flynn shook his head. "Actually, no. At least, not for a while." He sighed. "I've kinda been holding off on telling you guys this 'cause I didn't know what you'd say. But, well, after the memorial service a week ago, I've been keeping an eye on Eric's kids. You know, Syd and Shay? They were hanging around the garage one day, looking really sad. I mean, at least Lee has you, Xander, and Ryan has you, Ryan, and Andrew has Hunter. Syd and Shay's parents are both dead and so are all their teammates. Those two girls are orphans and no one to look after them except for Princess Shayla. So I was talking to the Princess and she said that she doesn't know what she's going to do with them. Something about sleep? I don't know. Anyway, the girls have sort of, well, I guess you could say they've adopted me. They want me to come back with them to the Animarium and, as Syd put it, 'watch out for them like you watched out for the other Rangers.' So I'm heading up to the Animarium with Princess Shayla, Shay and Syd tomorrow. I don't know where the future will take myself and the two girls but I do know we're going to take on life together."

Casey slapped Flynn on the back. "That's great, man! I know Eric wouldn't have wanted it anyway else. He would have wanted someone he trusted implicitly to take care of them. I guess the same thing sort of happened to me." Flynn looked at him strangely and Casey laughed. "Turns out when Wes went to make sure his son, Sky, was protected during the battles, he told his father that if Eric died he wanted me to take care of Sky. His father said he told him I was the only one he would trust with his son. Crazy, huh? At least Sky and I have hit it off. I asked him where he wanted to live, told him if he wanted to go back to Silver Hills with his grandfather, I'd go with him. But he said he wanted to go to Mariner Bay, to the Aquabase with the Ryans. So that's where we're going. Should be fun."

Ryan nodded. "What about Leo's kids? And Jason's? Where will they go? Their parents are dead."

Zhane was quick to answer that one. "Mike's taking them all back to Mirinoi. They stayed there during the Venjix occupation and that's the home the four of them know. Jake and Jess and Carleigh and Anna will be raised by Mike. He's Jake and Jessie's Uncle and is practically an Uncle to Carleigh and Anna anyway. They'll be fine."

Hunter looked out, away from his friends. "So this is really it. We all go our separate ways, like Zhane said. No more huddling in a building for protection or warmth. No more patrolling. No more giving up food when we're starving so Connor has her share? After all those years, we're just walking away from each other. You guys are my family."

Flynn shook his head. "Why would we do that? We'll keep in touch. Hang out. I know Mr. Hartford has developed special communicators for us. The seven of us? We'll always be connected. Mariner Bay, Reefside, Briarwood, Angel Grove, the Animarium, Mirinoi, we'll never be far apart. It's like Hunter just said. We're family. And family doesn't split up."

The mood was growing somber and Ryan was quick to lighten it. "And let's face it. None of us can go for very long without seeing Connor."

Everyone laughed and then got to their feet, ready to head out and go their separate ways for a little while. Because, let's face it. Where there's Power Rangers, there's evil. And where there's evil, there's Power Rangers ready to save the world. And these Rangers? They truly are a family. When one calls, all seven answer. So they weren't really parting ways. It wasn't a good-bye.

It was just a 'see-ya-later.'

**Author's Note: And that ends **_**In a Heartbeat**_** with the first ending. Part of me really, really wants to continue this story. But I want your opinions on this, few of you who are reading. Should I do another story, featuring these 7 Rangers we've come to love and maybe the kids. Let me know when you (hint, hint) read and REVIEW!!! **

**Thanks to LissaxSuee for reviewing and Ms. Fairweather, who both liked Eric's letters to his daughters! I liked that part a lot too.**

**Please read and review and stay tuned for the second ending to this story! And tell me if you think I should continue this story in another installment!!**

**And now, power down.**


	24. 2nd Ending: Stories

_"After all they have done for us? Count me in, Doc. I'll help."_

__The voice was instantly familiar to Doctor K. She jerked, feeling as if the voice had shot straight to her soul, caressing it like an old friend. Her gaze traveled the crowd, looking for the source of the voice, for the person she knew.

A figure stepped out of the crowd. It was a man, that much she knew. As he walked closer, she felt a shiver go up her spine.

Dillon walked towards her, his black hair mussed, his black jacket wrinkled. His smile appeared the closer he got to Dr. K. He jogged the last few steps and dropped to his knees beside Flynn. For a moment, his smile faltered as he looked at his friend lying there, unconscious.

"You're dead," Dr. K blurted.

He grinned at her. "Not anymore. Not quite. But you can hear my story later. For now, I think we should help them. That fight looked pretty bad."

Then, before Dr. K and Dillon could do anything more, new figures were stepping out from the masses of people. First one, then two, three, four more people walked towards Dr. K. The guy in front, a man with brown hair and a red jacket stooped down beside Dr. K. "Connor McKnight. Dino Thunder Ranger, if they even exist anymore." He smiled ruefully. "Where are we taking the Rangers? They don't look so good."

Dr. K just gaped at him as another man and two women stepped up behind him. "You're dead." She blurted again, her mind not working fast enough to keep up with the fact that Rangers she'd believed dead were coming to life around her.

Dillon set a hand on her shoulder. "We're not dead, Doc. But Flynn and these others might be soon if we don't get them back to the lab. Are the cars nearby?"

Slowly, Dr. K nodded. "Yes, Flynn's Jeep, the cars, they're just around the corner. And Summer's motorcycle. Here," She tossed Dillon four keys. He gave three to Connor and the two girls and they turned to leave.

"Wait!" Dr. K shouted. "Dillon, there's a little girl in the Jeep. Don't scare her; she's Kira's daughter, and she's already probably wondering where her Mom is. Her name is Connor. Just bring her with you, okay?"

The man who'd introduced himself as Connor stumbled slightly as he heard that the girl's name was his own. He turned back to Dr. K. "You said her name was Connor? And she's Kira's daughter?" Dillon and the two girls were waiting for him a few steps away.

Dr. K nodded. "Yes, her name is Connor. And she is Kira's daughter, though I have not been told who her father is, if he is one of these six lying here or what. But for now, I would advise you to hurry because I don't know how much time they may have."

Dillon nodded and the four ran off. The other man knelt beside Flynn. "Hey. I'm Kai Chen. Galaxy Blue Ranger. You're Dillon's Dr. K, aren't you?"

Dr. K nodded but before she could speak, the sound of screeching tires filled the air and two cars, a Jeep and a motorcycle skidded to a stop nearby. Dillon jogged back to Dr. K. "Let's get them out of here." He leaned down and picked Flynn up effortlessly, thanks to the Venjix hardware that made him stronger than normal men.

Connor and one of the girls, a dark-haired girl wearing a gray jacket over a pink shirt, headed over to where Kira lay. They conversed quietly as they walked.

"How much do you think we've missed? You think any of the others survived, Cassie?" Connor asked. His eyes remained on Kira and it was all he could do not to run over to her.

Cassie shrugged. "I don't know. But we're probably it. I never even saw any of the others. What if they really were killed? Like he said he was going to do to us?"

They reached Kira and Connor knelt down beside her. Carefully, he felt for a pulse and found one, thread and weak but there. He motioned for Cassie to join him. She did and he looked at her earnestly. "Ok, we have to get her to the Jeep. You grab her legs and I'll grab her head. But be careful; we don't know what kinds of internal injuries she might have."

Cassie nodded and, on three, they lifted Kira into the air and made their way back to Flynn's Jeep. The other girl, a girl with long blonde hair, and Kai were carrying Hunter to Dillon's car. The closer they got to the Jeep, the more clearly Connor could make out the little girl in the front seat, looking anxiously at each Ranger as they were brought to the cars. Then, her eyes landed on Kira.

"Mommy!" she screamed and pushed open the door, jumping to the ground and running towards where Cassie and Connor stood with Kira suspended between them. As she got closer, Connor could see the tears running down her face and the sheer panic in her eyes. She jerked to a stop once she reached them and tugged on Kira's skirt. "Mommy, Mommy, what's wrong?" Then she looked at Connor and Cassie, two people she'd never met before and asked, "What's wrong with them? My Hunter's asleep, my Flynn won't talk to me and I don't know where my Casey or my Ryan or my Zhane are. What's going on?"

Connor and Cassie put Kira on the backseat of the car and then Connor squatted in front of the little girl. "Hi there. Your name is Connor, isn't it?" He waited while she nodded and then set his hands on her shoulders. "Well, my name's Connor too and your Mommy and I used to be best friends before the war. And don't worry, they're all going to be fine. They just got a little banged up, but they'll be okay. Wanna do me a favor?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah, I wanna help. What can I do?"

"You can stay in Flynn's Jeep and keep an eye on your Mommy. And you can watch over Flynn, too, okay? That way, we'll know they're in good hands while we're getting the rest of them. Can you do that for me?" The little girl nodded sagely and jumped back into the passenger seat. Connor and Cassie turned to head towards Xander.

Kai and the long, blonde-haired chick were crouching beside Ryan as Dillon picked up Casey. Kai looked at his companion. "You see that little girl freak out?" he asked. "I feel kinda bad for her, ya know? Shows up here and sees her Mom lying as if dead. Makes me wonder if Leo and Kendrix's kids are safe somewhere."

The woman with him cast him a sideways glance. "I hope my kids are safe too. I'm sure Eric would have done something to make sure they were taken care of, after I disappeared, but…I want to see them, you know?"

Kai nodded. "Don't worry, Tay. I'm sure they're fine. Let's get this guy to one of the cars and then we can find your daughters. Come on." Together they lifted Ryan off the ground and carried him to Scott's red sports car. They laid him alongside Xander on the backseat. Then they joined Dr. K, Dillon, Cassie and Connor by the Jeep.

"All right. Cassie, you follow with Summer's bike. Connor, will you drive the Jeep? Kai and Taylor can drive Scott's car. Dillon, I'll ride with you in your car. We'll lead the way to my lab and I'll be able to help them there."

Five minutes later, the convoy headed out for Dr. K's lab.

* * *

Kira's little girl refused to leave her side. So Connor sat by her at Kira's bed, keeping watch over her Mom. And he asked her about living in hiding from Venjix. She told him story after story of how Flynn made her toys out of scraps of metal and Xander always brought her flowers and Hunter would give her rocks he found on patrol. She told him about how Kira wrote her songs and then all the guys would sing to her. She told him that Zhane and Ryan would act out funny plays for her.

Finally, just when Connor was about to tell a story about a puppy Hunter had brought her once, Kira stirred. She blinked twice and looked up at her daughter and her friend. Then she closed her eyes again and squeezed them tight before opening them back up. She stared directly into the face of a man she'd assumed was dead, a man whose body she'd cried over. And yet, here he was in front of her, sitting next to his namesake, her daughter.

"I'm sorry, Connor. I didn't mean to do this to you." Kira reached out weakly and took hold of her daughter's hand, making it obvious who she was talking to. McKnight looked around, interested to see that all of the other injured Rangers were also waking up.

Connor Fernandez leaned over the bed and ran her hand over her Mommy's face. "Do what, Mommy? Everything's gonna be okay 'cause now you're awake and Hunter and Flynn and everyone's gonna be okay 'cause Flynn's Doctor K said they will be."

"Connor, I didn't mean for you to die, too. I hope it was quick and painless. I'm so sorry to bring you into this." Kira started to babble now, just rambling on and on as Connor's expression grew more and more terrified. She didn't seem to recognize the changes in her daughter's countenance. "I knew that there was little chance you would survive the years we spent in hiding. But Ryan and Hunter and Xander vowed that nothing would happen to you and Casey wouldn't eat so that you would have enough and, when it was time to come out of hiding, I breathed a sigh of relief. You were still alive. But then I left you here, alone with that doctor woman, and I don't know what happened but I guess you were surprised here by some of Venjix's army and killed. I'm so sorry, Connor, I never meant for this to happen."

There was momentary pause and then Connor screamed. Connor McKnight tried to grab her to comfort her but she pushed his arms out of the way and ran. Across the room, the guy Rangers were struggling to sit up, sure that someone or something was attacking their Connor. The little girl raced straight to where Hunter lay and, in one leap, jumped up onto the bed. She cowered by his side as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. Then she looked back at her Mom and, tears streaming down her face, screamed, "You're not my Mommy! Where is my Mommy?!" Hunter pressed his face against her hair and whispered into her ear, trying to calm her down. Xander twisted to look at Kira.

"Kira, what's the matter with you? Why would you tell the kid that she's dead?" His tone was reserved, like he wasn't blaming her for acting crazy but just curious as to why she was acting nuts-o.

Kira thrust her finger towards Connor McKnight. "He's dead." She pointed at Taylor. "Pretty sure she was dead. Logical conclusion, is we're dead."

McKnight grinned and shook his head. "We're not dead. We were, but we're not. And I can promise you, you're not dead. It's a long story and one we will tell you as soon as possible, but maybe you should calm down your daughter first."

Connor was still trembling on Hunter's bed. Zhane had climbed out of his bed and stood on shaky legs in front of her, speaking calmly and trying to get her to relax. Casey, Xander, Ryan and Flynn were sitting on their beds, all looking ready to jump to her aid if she needed it.

"You're not dead? Are you sure?" Kira asked warily. Connor nodded. Kira exhaled loudly. Then she turned to her daughter. "Connor, I'm sorry. I was confused. You're not dead and I'm sorry I said you were. Come here, give me a hug. I love you, sweetheart and I didn't mean to hurt you."

After a short pause, Connor clambered down from Hunter's bed and ran back to her Mommy. Kira patted the bed beside her and she climbed up to sit beside her. Then Kira turned back to Connor McKnight. "Okay, McKnight, start talking. How are the five of you not dead?"

Kai, Taylor, Cassie and Dillon moved to stand beside Connor. "You guys ready for this story now? You sure you don't need to rest or something?"

Casey waved a hand dismissively. "If I can just sit down to listen to the story and maybe get some food, I'll be good to go."

Kai squinted at Casey, noticing his extremely gaunt form and sunken eyes. "Yeah, man, maybe a burger. Or a whole pig. You don't look so good. Have you eaten lately?"

"Yeah-" Casey started but Flynn interrupted him. "No, he hasn't eaten lately or much at all in the past five years." Casey looked at him askance. Flynn smiled. "Come on, Case, you really think none of us noticed that you'd always 'just eaten' when the rest of us were dividing up food? Or how your portions seemed to always be in the pile for Connor? How blind did you think we were?"

Casey protested. "I just did what any of you would do! It wasn't that great."

Hunter shook his head. "It was evident of a real leader. Now, about that food…can we get something to eat and maybe somewhere more comfortable to sit? Cause I want to hear about how these five aren't dead and the others are." There was a slight darkness in his tone that he tried to mask with his disarming grin.

Dillon looked at Dr. K. "Should we go into the rec room?" She nodded and he, Connor, Kai, Cassie and Taylor helped the seven weak Rangers into another room where the injured sank into couches and recliners, each exclaiming over how nice it felt to sit in something soft. Connor left her Mom to sit with Flynn, to which Hunter protested loudly and Flynn wrapped his arms around the little girl and told Hunter that she'd just wanted to hang with her Scottish uncle. Connor giggled as the five undead hopped up onto a counter and looked at their friends, who stared back expectantly.

"Well. I'll let these guys tell you what happened after the vanishings since I didn't arrive on the scene until after Psycho Blue killed me." Connor nudged Taylor with his elbow. Taylor cleared her throat.

"Okay. Well. We'd survived the battles with the Overlord; well, most of us. We'd gone back to our homes and were hoping to not have to face anything else for a while, some of us more than others," she inclined her head towards Kira. "Then we were vanished. I can't really describe being vanished. One second I was on the Animarium, talking to Princess Shayla with Danny and the next, I was in this big, empty room. There was one other person in there, a figure that was hooded and cloaked. I tried to fight him but there was no doing that. He took my Growwl Phone and my Wild Zord orbs. Then he sucked from me all my energy."

Cassie took over the story for a minute. "Sometimes, I'd catch glimpses of the other Rangers and they looked like ghosts. We looked like ghosts too but you could see it more clearly in the others. Their edges were blurred and I could kinda see through them. But it was weird at the same time, cause I only ever saw other Pink Rangers. Kendrix, Jen and then Dana and Kimberly. But that was it. No Red Rangers, no Black. Just Pink."

Taylor nodded. "Same here, only for me it was Yellow Rangers. Dustin, Ashley, Lily, Summer. We didn't, couldn't interact and then, after what seemed like forever, I could see the outside again! I felt like I had a body! Arms, legs, eyes, mouth, everything. I felt like me again. Just one problem – I wasn't in control of anything. I could only look at what the brain controlling the body chose to look at. And then I saw you, Kira, and you, Flynn and I knew I was a prisoner inside the yellow Psycho Ranger. I could do nothing but scream my protests in the total silence and watch as Yellow tried her best to destroy you."

Kai broke in. "I was a prisoner inside Psycho Blue when he killed Tori and Connor and there was nothing I could do about it."

Now Connor took over the story. "I was a latecomer to the ghosty party. After I was killed in Ninja Ops, I was instantly in this weird nothingness. Seconds after I arrived, Tori popped in beside me. We stood back-to-back, ready to defend ourselves. Then he was just there. One man. We should have been fine, two against one. Next thing I knew, my Dino Gem and morpher were gone. Tori didn't have a morpher. And the guy was back across the room with my Gem in his hand. Then he flexed his wrist and crushed it. He told us, 'welcome to eternity' and disappeared. Tori winked out a few minutes later. I never saw her again. But after a while, I was like Kai and Taylor. I was inside Psycho Red when he, Blue and Black killed Leo and Wes. Then came the big fight. I was inside Psycho Red, Dillon was inside Psycho Black and Kai was imprisoned within Psycho Blue. Then you guys destroyed them."

Flynn interrupted. "And you were destroyed too, right?"

Connor Fernandez turned to look up at him. She patted him on the cheek. "Uncle Flynn, it's a story! Don't interrupt." All six of Connor's "uncles" laughed – they had been telling her that for years.

Dillon chucked briefly and then continued the story. "Thanks, kid. Anyway, no we weren't destroyed. When you shot the Psychos with your fancy gun, we were blasted out of them and back into the empty nothingness. Only this time, it was just the three of us. Me, Kai and Connor. We didn't have any clue what was going on. All we had was hope that you guys had destroyed the Psychos. And so the three of us began to wait." He looked at Taylor, who took over the story.

"When Psycho Yellow and Psycho Pink came to battle you guys, Cassie and I were prisoners inside of them. There was nothing we could do as they kidnapped Clare and Fran and battled you guys. When they called Megazords, there was nothing we could do. I can't tell you how excited I was when you guys blasted us to pieces. It didn't matter if I survived or didn't; I just didn't want any more Rangers to die."

Cassie nodded. "Yeah. We'd seen enough killing. But we didn't die, anyway. We wound up in the empty nothingness with the guys. And there we stayed for what was eternity for us. For you, it was the five years between the destruction of the Psycho Rangers. Then, today, after you destroyed Venjix, we just kind of blinked into existence on the sidewalk, just as Dr. K was pleading with the crowd to help her. So we stepped up."

Connor spread his hands and leaned back. "And that's our story."

There was a long pause and then Kira, unable to hold back any more, blurted, "No one else survived? Trent? Blake, Tori? Where are they?"

Dillon shook his head. "We don't know. I guess only the ones who were prisoners within the Psycho Rangers at that time. Or maybe the others had already moved on. All we know is we were dead and now we're not. I'm sorry but Trent and Blake and all the others; I don't think they're coming back."

Taylor's voice was choked up as she spoke again. "And the other ones, who died after we did, Wes and Leo and…and Eric, they're dead, too. They're not coming back either."

Xander's voice was quiet. "But you did, Connor. Doesn't it stand to reason that they might could too?"

Connor frowned. "I'd like to think so but the rational part of me says no. I don't know why I didn't die when I was killed. I don't know why I went to the land of the Vanished, as we called it. But my theory on why we returned is that when the Psycho Rangers were destroyed, we were put in a kind of stasis since we'd been in their bodies. Then, when you guys beat Venjix, we were released. I'm sorry, Kira. But I don't think anyone else is returning."

A sob escaped Kira and her daughter climbed down from Hunter's lap and got into hers. She knelt in Kira's lap and wrapped her arms around her mother. "Don't cry, Mommy. Don't cry."

No one's eyes were dry as Kira wiped her tears and smiled down at Connor. "It's okay, Connor. Mommy is just missing Daddy."

Connor didn't respond for a minute. She'd never met her Daddy. She knew Hunter, Xander, Ryan, Zhane, Flynn and Casey as more father figures than Trent. To her, they were her Daddies. They'd kept her safe and fed and brought her flowers. She loved them and they loved her. But then she kissed Kira on the cheek and said, "I miss Daddy, too, Mommy. I wish I had known Daddy. But at least your Connor is here, Mommy."

Kira smiled. "Yes, baby, at least my Connor is here."

Dillon cleared his throat. "I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'd like to hear about the Rangers who didn't make it and I'd like to hear the story of how you guys survived with a baby for five years. Anyone want to enlighten me?" Connor, Cassie, Taylor and Kai quickly echoed his sentiment and Flynn nodded.

"Sure, we can tell you about the heroes. And then we should do something to remember those who didn't make it. But here…here is the story."


	25. 2nd Ending: Crystal Wall

**Author's Note: To readers who have already read the first ending: yes, this chapter is basically the same. Some things have changed to reflect the different ending but it is basically the same. So you don't have to bother reading it again if you don't want to. A brand new chapter should be up later today or tomorrow. Thanks!!**

Two weeks had passed before the day of the memorial service finally dawned. All seven of the Rangers were present and nearly half of the population of Corinth City, plus nearly twenty people who had been rescued from work camps. Over the past fourteen days, friends and allies of the Rangers had flocked to Corinth City, all begging to take part in the memorial service. Dr. K was there and the five Rangers who had appeared at the defeat of Venjix. The leader of Lightspeed Rescue, Captain Bill Mitchell, had showed up two days after the defeat of Venjix, several kids with him. He would be conducting the service today.

Xander leaned over to Kira. "So are you really ready for this?" Her son, Carson, sat between her and Xander. Connor sat on Flynn's lap a few seats away, playing with his Engine Cell. He turned to look at the front of the large clearing near the city plaza. One casket rested at the front, in front of a stage, to memorialize all the dead. Of course, the casket itself was empty but the sentiment was nice. The twelve survivors had planned most of the ceremony, wanting some way to remember their friends and show the world a little glimpse into who had died fighting for them.

Kira smiled sadly. "No, not really. I don't think everyone's going to understand the…ummm…well, the depth of what our friends did for them. And I don't think they're going to care about all of the Rangers. I don't want people to get bored or something; that'll make me think they don't want to be here and they don't care."

Flynn joined the conversation from the other side. "Kir, I think they understand what the other Rangers did. I think they know that they wouldn't be here without their sacrifices." Just then, before he could say anything else, Captain Mitchell took the stage, a sheaf of papers in his hand. He stepped to the microphone and everyone quieted.

"We would like to thank everyone for coming today. This is a time we would like to set aside to remember fallen friends, fallen comrades, fallen heroes. We would like to take just a little time to recognize the sacrifice of each Ranger and memorialize them in some small way. Therefore, I would ask that each one of you please keep all comments or other outbursts until the end of the ceremony."

Captain Mitchell cleared his throat. "First, we would like to recognize Jason Lee Scott." As he spoke, a large man who had come to Dr. K's lab a few days ago, Ernie, clad in a button-up Hawaiian print shirt and nice khaki pants, took the stage, a young girl of about seven next to him. The little girl held a red rose in her hand. Casey also mounted the stage from the opposite end, his Drive Defender in hand. "Jason was the original Red Ranger. He was dedicated to the martial arts and to peace, which is why he left the Mighty Morphin' Rangers to attend a World Peace Summit. But when the call to battle came, Jason was always ready to take up the sword again. He willingly took on the powers of the Gold Ranger to aid the Power Rangers Zeo and was a valued member of the Ranger team that took on the Generals of the Machine Empire in the Forever Red mission. Jason and his lifetime love, Kimberly Hart were married in June of 1999, two years after they had been captured by Divatox. They spent five years together, enjoying being a couple before they had two children, twin daughters in 2004. Anna and Carleigh were four when Jason left to go save Kimberly. Two weeks later, Rangers started to vanish and Jason feared the worst would happen. So, he sent Anna and Carleigh with Zhane's children, Jackson and Rachel, to Mirinoi to stay with Leo's brother, Mike." A holographic picture of Jason appeared above the stage, and it revolved there, his visage smiling, as Casey raised the Defender. Captain Mitchell spoke again. "And now, Jason, we honor you for your bravery and for your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." The girl, Carleigh, handed his rose to Ernie and the man stepped up to what looked like a curtain but was actually a crystal wall. He held the rose up in a precise spot against the wall and closed his eyes. Then, Casey slowly and reverently raised his Drive Defender and squeezed off a quick, low-powered shot. Thanks to some techno upgrades from Flynn, when the shot impacted the rose it, red dye splashed across the crystal. The rose petals fell to the ground but the dye dried almost instantly. Then Ernie, Carleigh and Casey returned to their seats and Jason's picture disappeared.

"Next we remember Zack Taylor. Zack was the original Black Ranger. He was a hip-hop dancer and a very good fighter. He loved a good joke and also attended the world peace summit. Zack never shrank back from saving his friends." Dillon walked up one set of stairs as Bulk, who had shown up at the same time as Ernie, walked up the other, holding a black rose. A picture of the fun-loving Zack Taylor appeared in the air above the stage. "And now, Zack, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Bulk raised the rose and held it against the wall as Dillon raised a Nitro Blaster. In one swift move, Dillon fired a low-powered shot and black dye spotted the crystal wall. Dillon and Bulk returned to their seats as a new hologram appeared in the air.

This one was of an Asian woman with long black hair and a smile on her lips. "Trini Kwan was the original Yellow Ranger. She never wanted to fight unless it was fair and practiced the Mantis style of Kung Fu. I've been told she was very quiet and reserved but could always put up a good fight when she needed to. Along with Zack and Jason, Trini also received an invitation to the peace summit in Switzerland." Captain Mitchell glanced towards the left side of the stage where Kira waited, her Thundermax Saber raised in Laser Mode. At the other end of the stage stood an older woman who had showed up a few days earlier, said her name was Ms. Appleby and that she had known the Power Rangers. She held a yellow rose. Mitchell faced the crowd once more. "And now, Trini, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ms. Appleby held the rose out in a shaking hand and moved it sideways along the wall until it was in the correct spot. Then, Kira loosed one blast from her gun and the rose was gone, replaced by yellow dye on the wall. Kira and Ms. Appleby took their seats and another hologram appeared.

The hologram depicted a brown-haired woman with an easy smile. Captain Mitchell smiled slowly. "Kimberly Hart was a gymnast first and foremost. She was also the original Pink Ranger. Kimberly cared a lot about her friends and never liked to see anyone mess with her friends. She also carried the powers of the Pink Ninja Ranger, the powers of the Crane. When Kim finally left the Rangers, she left to follow her dream of competing in the Pan American Games, in gymnastics. Kimberly married Jason Scott, her childhood sweetheart, in 1999. She gave birth to twins in 2004. Her one desire was to never have to morph again, not wanting to leave her children. Then she was captured by the Overlord. Jason came to her rescue and she made him swear that he would never leave their children orphans. Her love, Jason, was killed fighting the Psychos. Kim was killed soon thereafter." Cassie held a Nitro Blaster in a firing position as Bulk returned to the stage, Anna at his side. This time, he carried a pink rose and held it in front of the wall. "And now, Kimberly, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Cassie fired and the pink dye joined the red, the black and the yellow. Then Cassie, Anna and Bulk returned to their seats.

A new hologram appeared above the stage, this one showing a man's face. The man had brown hair, glasses and freckles. "Billy was perhaps the smartest Ranger ever. He had a genius level IQ and was even capable of command when the situation called for it. He also held the Wolf Power Coin and was the Blue Ninja Ranger. When Master Vile turned all the Power Rangers into children, Billy built a device and restored himself to his original age, then sent all the other Rangers on their Zeo Quests. Billy stayed on with the Power Rangers as an advisor to the Zeo team." Flynn walked up the steps as Ernie walked up the other set of steps. Ernie held a blue rose in front of the wall. "And now, Billy, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Flynn held his Nitro Blaster and fired, spraying blue dye onto the crystal. Ernie dropped the stem to the ground and the two took their seats.

The next hologram that showed up above the stage was of a young man with long brown hair and an ear-to-ear grin. "Tommy Oliver. We debated over what picture to show and decided to go with this one, the original. Tommy initially became a Ranger to serve Rita. As the Green Ranger, Tommy fought long and hard against the Power Rangers though he eventually lost his Green Ranger powers. Zordon then gave him the powers of the White Ranger and he fought many missions alongside the Power Rangers. He also used the White Falcon Powers to become the White Ninja Ranger. Master Vile then turned Tommy and the other Rangers into children but, after they found the Zeo Crystal and were restored to their rightful ages, Tommy took up the powers of the Red Zeo Ranger. Tommy also served briefly as the red Turbo Ranger before handing his powers over to TJ. He returned years later to lead the Forever Red mission to Earth's moon. And even then, the power wasn't done with Tommy Oliver. Tommy took a job as a high school science teacher and then trained a new team of Power Rangers. He eventually joined the team as the black Dino Ranger. After the defeat of Mesagog, Tommy returned to being a high school science teacher. And that's where he stayed until he was called to defend Earth again and rescue the female Rangers from the Overlord." Hunter jogged up the stairs onto the stage, his Crimson Blaster in hand. A red-haired woman approached the crystal wall. Kira had been overjoyed when they'd found Hayley in a work camp and now Hayley held a rose with different colored petals, one white, one green, one red and one black. "And now, Tommy, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." As soon as the words left Captain Mitchell's mouth, Hunter raised his gun and fired, sending droplets of red, green, white and black dye spattering onto the wall. Then both took their seats and another picture appeared.

"Rocky DeSantos. He took over the Red Ranger powers from Jason Scott. He was the class clown of the team, always looking to have a good time. When he was in town for a Ninja Competition, he met the Rangers and helped them save a baby. Over time, he helped them out on a few more missions and was eventually selected by Jason to take over for him. Rocky also sported the Red Ninja Powers and, when Master Vile turned back time, found the Blue Zeo Crystal and became the Blue Zeo Ranger. When the time came for the Turbo Rangers to be born, Rocky unfortunately injured his back in a martial arts competition and ended up handing his powers down to Justin." Connor walked to the stage with a man wearing a faded Angel Grove cop's uniform. The man, Lt. Jerome Stone, took a red rose from Captain Mitchell and held it as high as he could, in front of the wall. "And now, Rocky, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Connor took careful aim with a borrowed Nitro Blaster and fired a single blast that destroyed the flower and left nothing but red dye behind. Then he and Lt. Stone resumed their seats.

Captain Mitchell cleared his throat and waited for another picture to appear, this one of a black-haired man. "Adam Park took over the Black Mighty Morphin' Ranger powers from Zack. Adam was shy and quiet but well-trained in Shaolin Kung-Fu. He also fought as the Black Ninja Ranger and, after Master Vile turned the Rangers into children, traveled to Korea to find the Zeo Crystal and take up the mantle of the Green Zeo Ranger. He wore the suit of the green Turbo Ranger for a while before giving his powers to Carlos. After that, he was always willing to do his part, even morphing without a Power Coin once to help his successor. That's just the way Adam was." Dillon stepped back up onto the stage as Ernie joined him, holding a black rose. "And now, Adam, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Dillon held the Nitro Blaster in a two-handed grip and fired, spraying black dye on the crystal. Then the two left the stage and sat down.

A new hologram appeared, this one depicting a cute, African-American girl with a yellow headband and a broad grin. "Aisha Campbell took over the Yellow Ranger powers from Trini and fought well. Aisha helped the Rangers many times before even becoming a Ranger and was a logical choice to succeed Trini. Then, when Master Vile turned them into children, she traveled to Africa to find the yellow Zeo Crystal. In the end, she decided to remain in Africa to help animals and sent Tanya back in her place." Taylor and Ms. Appleby walked onto the stage and Ms. Appleby held up a yellow rose. "And now, Aisha, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Taylor fired just one shot and yellow dye splattered the crystal wall.

The new picture showed a blonde woman wearing a pink t-shirt. "Katherine Hillard was a lot like Tommy Oliver. She went from Australia to Angel Grove and fell under Rita Repulsa's spell. While under Rita's power, she stole Kim's Power Coin and the Falconzord. In the end, her memories of being good were enough to break the spell and she was Kim's logical choice when Kim left for the Pan America Games. Kat became the pink Power Ranger and then subsequently accepted the powers of the Pink Zeo Ranger. She also fought Divatox for a while as the Pink Turbo Ranger before passing her powers down to Cassie." Cassie's grip was somewhat shaky as she held the Nitro Blaster in a two-handed grip, facing Bulk who was holding a pink rose against the wall. "And now, Kat, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Cassie's shot was short and enough to splash pink dye onto the crystal wall. Then Bulk went back to his seats.

Another picture appeared above the stage and, as everyone else looked at the picture of another African-American girl, Xander looked at the people in the crowd. All of their attention was focused on the stage. Not one looked bored. Captain Mitchell started to speak. "Aisha chose Tanya Sloan to replace her as the Yellow Zeo Ranger. Tanya risked her life many times for the Rangers and even before she was a Ranger, she rescued Aisha from a lion in Africa, probably prompting Aisha to pass her powers to Tanya. Tanya later served as the Yellow Turbo Ranger before handing her powers off to Ashley to carry on the legacy." Kira jogged back to the stage as Lt. Stone approached the wall with a yellow rose in his hand. He held the rose low, almost crouching, and waited for the shot. "And now, Tanya, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired and yellow dye splashed. Then she and Lt. Stone resumed their seats.

"Theodore J. Jarvis Jr." Captain Mitchell laughed and glanced at the picture of the shaved-head, African-American man revolving just in front of him. "Kind of a mouthful. To his friends, he was TJ. Red Turbo Ranger. TJ originally came to Angel Grove to play professional baseball. Unfortunately, his good heart wouldn't let him leave someone in trouble and he ended up rescuing Tommy and Kat from an attack by Divatox. He was the logical choice when Tommy stepped down and so TJ inherited the Red Turbo Ranger powers. TJ also led the team into space after the Power Chamber was destroyed and fought on the Space team as the Blue Space Ranger. Years later, when the remnants of the Machine Empire threatened Earth, TJ returned as the Red Turbo Ranger on the Forever Red mission." Casey took the steps two at a time as Bulk joined him, holding a red rose. "And now, TJ, we honor you for your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey raised his Drive Defender and shot, disintegrating the flower and leaving just the red dye on the crystal wall. The two walked back to their seats and another hologram appeared, this one of a young man in a green t-shirt and chin-length hair.

"Carlos took the green Zeo powers after Adam gave up the power. Carlos was Angel Grove's star soccer player and proved himself to be a team player over and over again. After the Power Chamber was destroyed, Carlos travelled with the team into space where he became the Black Space Ranger." This time it was Zhane who walked up the steps, holding an Astro Blaster. Adele joined him and extended her arm as far as it would go, holding out a green rose. "And now, Carlos, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Zhane had tears rolling down his face as he fired.

"Ashley Hammond was perhaps the most cheerful person ever. She was a cheerleader at Angel Grove High School and a simple choice when Tanya handed down the Turbo Powers. After the destruction of the Power Chamber, Ashley joined her team in travelling into space, where she became the yellow Space Ranger." Cassie took the stage again, tears pouring down her face, holding her gun as Jerome Stone walked up opposite her, holding out a yellow rose. "And now, Ashley, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira blasted the rose and left yellow dye on the crystal wall.

Captain Mitchell clicked something in the palm of his hand and another picture appeared, this one of a boy who couldn't be more than twenty-two years old. The boy had shaggy brown hair. "This is Justin Stewart. He was eleven when he took up the mantle of the blue Turbo Ranger. Rocky gave Justin his Turbo powers when he injured his back and Justin proved to be a valuable asset to the team. He was really good at video games and had an exceptionally high IQ, moving him into high school as an eleven-year-old. When the other Rangers left on the Astro Megaship, Justin stayed behind with his father. But, when the time came, he stood ready to help his friends, even years later." Kai came onto the stage this time, along with Justin's father, a man who had been difficult to track down but not impossible. He had been found in a work camp not far from Angel Grove. The man held a blue rose against the crystal wall, his face screwed up with pain. "And now, Justin, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kai fired one shot. One shot was all it would take.

"Next is Andros, a mysterious man from KO-35. When first the Rangers stumbled upon him, he was silent and brooding. But he warmed up to them and proved to be a valuable asset to the team as the Red Space Ranger. He also proved to be instrumental in defeating Astronema and restoring her to her real self as his sister, Karone. Later, he and the other Space Rangers travelled to Terra Venture to help the Galaxy Rangers and he also joined in on the Forever Red mission to the moon." Casey and Zhane walked up the steps of the stage together, Zhane holding the red rose. Zhane had his Astro Blaster holstered at his hip and was wearing an old Space Ranger jacket he'd found in the Corinth City headquarters. No one knew how it had ended up there but he had worn it pretty much every day since then. He held the rose up and looked at Captain Mitchell. "And now, Andros, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." A second later, more red dye stained the crystal.

Captain Mitchell waited for the next picture to appear before he spoke. The picture was of a young man with short brown hair and a red tank top. "Leo Corbett was not even supposed to be aboard Terra Venture. He stowed away and then wound up on Mirinoi with the other Rangers. He was not even the one who pulled the red Quasar Saber from the stone. But he was the one who carried the fight to Trakeena, who led the other Galaxy Rangers into and out of battle. He was the true Red Galaxy Ranger. Leo was always ready to fight, returning to Earth to help the Lightspeed Rangers and participating in the Forever Red mission. Leo loved Kendrix Morgan with all of his heart and they were married in a simple Mirinoi ceremony in 2001. They had a daughter named Jessica Morgan in 2003 and a son named Jacob Leo in 2005. Leo and Kendrix wanted very much to never leave Mirinoi again but then, in 2008, Kendrix was teleported right out of their home. Leo followed her and rescued her and they returned to Mirinoi. But then, a few weeks later, Kendrix vanished. She was gone. Leo travelled to Earth to find her, leaving his kids in the care of his brother and promised them he'd come back as soon as he could, that he was just 'going to find Mommy.' Jessie was five and Jake was three. They didn't understand what had happened when Leo didn't return. They didn't know he'd given his life so his friends could escape. All they knew was their Daddy and their Mommy weren't coming home. Mike took them in and has raised them on Mirinoi all this time." Casey hadn't left the stage and still held his Drive Defender pointed at the crystal wall. Mike Corbett, Leo's brother, had flown in from Terra Venture, using some crazy super-speed shuttle of Dr. K's. He seemed to be all cried out, his eyes were dry but extremely red. Standing with him were a brown-haired, ten-year-old girl and a blonde-haired, eight-year-old boy. Jake held a blood-red rose. "And now, Leo, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Jake handed the rose to his Uncle Mike who positioned the rose in front of the crystal. Casey fired.

The next hologram was another blonde-haired woman, this one wearing glasses. "Kendrix Morgan was probably the brains behind the operation. She was very brainy and served in Terra Venture's GSA department. She showed no hesitation in pulling the pink Quasar Saber from the stone. Kendrix fought valiantly in every battle she entered and finally, in a true show of courage, gave her life for Cassie when Psycho Pink created an energy storm that was sucking away all of Cassie's energy. When the Swords were placed back into the stone at the end of the Galaxy Rangers' mission, Kendrix was resurrected and lived with her friends on Mirinoi. She didn't hesitate to take back up the sword though, when danger arose. Kendrix was the first Ranger to fall in battle; unfortunately, she wouldn't be the last. Kira and Leo married in 2001 and had two children, Jake and Jessie. After Leo rescued Kendrix, she thought it was over for good. Two weeks later she disappeared." Cassie joined Mike and the two kids on the stage. She knelt down and handed Jessie a rose which the girl held in front of the wall. "And now, Kendrix, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Cassie pulled the trigger of her Nitro Blaster and the rose petals fell to the ground leaving nothing but a stem in Jess' hand and pink dye on the wall.

"Damon Henderson was the green Galaxy Ranger. He was a mechanic aboard the Astro Megaship when it was a museum and, along with Kai, flew the ship to Mirinoi to rescue the others. While on Mirinoi, he pulled the green Quasar Saber from the stone. Damon's knowledge of the Astro Megaship and his ability to keep it in top-notch shape was a valuable asset to the Ranger team. Damon was a jokester, always loving to kid around and hating to see anyone upset. He was also always ready to do his duty, as when he took up the powers again when evil threatened Earth." Kai and a small, older woman approached the stage. The old woman had also come from Mirinoi and had given her name as High Commander Renier. She held a green rose. "And now, Damon, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kai took careful aim, fired, and green dye splattered the wall as the rose disintegrated.

"Maya was not from Earth. She was a native of Mirinoi, who came to Earth through a rift in space. Maya led the other Rangers back to Mirinoi, where she joined with them in removing the Quasar Sabers. She was the yellow Galaxy Ranger. Maya was a calm and cheerful person and had great respect for nature. It was perhaps this very quality that enabled her to hear the Galactabeasts in their torment. She and the other Rangers were able to find the Galactabeasts and free them, making lifelong allies in the process. Maya was overjoyed to be a Galaxy Ranger and live out her lifelong dream of being one to wield a Quasar Saber but, when the time came, she returned her sword to the stone in order to restore her people." Taylor followed Commander Stanton as he returned to the crystal wall and positioned a yellow rose. "And now, Maya, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Taylor squeezed off a shot and yellow dye exploded from the flower onto the wall. Then she and Commander Stanton returned to their seats.

The next hologram showed a young woman with blonde hair and a skin-tight black tank top. "Karone was once an evil villainess, bent on destroying Earth and the Space Rangers. With her brother, Andros', help, Astronema was returned to good, returned to being Karone. Karone was drawn to the pink Galaxy Saber after Kendrix died and found it, protected it and used its power to become the new Pink Ranger. Karone was constantly seeking to make up for the evil and damage she had done as the princess of evil and was sweet and gentle. When the time came, Karone placed the Quasar Saber into the stone and gave up her powers. Then she travelled to KO-35 to find Zhane. The two began a relationship that ended in marriage in 2001. They were married on KO-35 and lived there for a year before moving back to Angel Grove. Their children seemed tied to Leo and Kendrix's. A son was born to them in 2003 and they named him Jackson. Later, in 2005, they had a daughter they named Rachel. Three years after Rachel was born, Karone was captured by the Overlord. Zhane went to free her but couldn't get to her before she was killed. Zhane returned to Angel Grove but couldn't stay away when he heard about all the Rangers getting vanished. His teammates were disappearing all around him. So, with a heavy heart, Zhane sent Rachel and Jackson to Mirinoi to live with Mike. I know how excited he was when Mike showed up two weeks ago with his kids in tow, kids he hadn't seen in over four years." Zhane and two kids took the stage now. The boy, Jack, held a pink rose, Zhane carried an Astro Blaster. Rachel clung to her father's leg. "And now, Karone, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Less than a minute later, more pink dye appeared on the crystal wall.

Now another picture appeared, a young man with brown hair, wearing a red jacket. Captain Mitchell's voice was slightly choked up as he started to speak. "Carter Grayson was the leader of the Lightspeed Rescue team. Before he was a Power Ranger, he was one of Mariner Bay's best firefighters. Countless times, he risked his life to save others. Exactly the qualities I was looking for in a Red Ranger. He was the first to step forward and accept the role of Lightspeed Rescue Power Ranger and it was his heroic actions at the end that finished Queen Bansheera for good. Carter also fought in the Forever Red mission and led his team to Silver City to finish off Vypra when she returned. He was the best leader a Captain could ask for." Connor walked slowly up onto the stage and Captain Mitchell turned to join him. The Captain pulled a red rose from his pocket and put it in front of the crystal wall. "And now, Carter, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Connor fired, the dye splashed onto the wall and Captain Mitchell returned to the podium, keying up another picture, this one of a young man with black hair.

"Chad Lee was a whale trainer at a local theme park when we approached him to be the Blue Lightspeed Rescue Ranger. Chad was quiet and peaceful, an avid scuba diver and a great asset to the team. He brought to our team a wide array of martial arts skills. Chad met Marina, a mermaid with whom he fell in love, though they eventually parted ways and Chad turned his attention to another one of our Rangers, Kelsey. After the defeat of Queen Bansheera, Chad became a lifeguard, though he didn't hesitate when called upon to help the Time Force Rangers defeat an undead Vypra. And then, ultimately, he gave his life protecting Katie, a Ranger not even from his team. But that's just how Chad was." Kai jogged onto the stage as Ms. Fairweather walked slowly up the steps on the other side. She was wearing a lab jacket in memory of the fallen Lightspeed Rangers. She held a blue rose high in the air. "And now, Chad, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." One shot was all it took for the blue dye to join the others.

"Joel Rawlings." Captain Mitchell paused as he waited for the picture of an African-American guy in a cowboy hat to appear above the stage. "Sky Cowboy. He was one of a kind. Before he became a Ranger, he was a stunt pilot and quite a good one too. He loved to impress people and what better way to do it than as the Green Rescue Ranger? Joel was always willing to do whatever it took to save his city, even if he seemed reluctant at first. After the last battle, Joel married Ms. Fairweather, a scientist at Lightspeed whom he'd had a crush on for a long time. But, as luck would have it, Vypra returned just as they were headed on their honeymoon. Joel didn't hesitate to pick back up his powers and head to Silver City with his team." Ryan joined Ms. Fairweather on the stage and gave her a hug. He wore his red Lightspeed jacket, something Captain Mitchell had saved through the years, believing his son was dead. Ms. Fairweather took a green rose from a pocket and kissed it before holding it up. Ryan took out a Rescue Blaster. "And now, Joel, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ryan, tears streaming, fired. Ms. Fairweather, tears also pouring down her face, watched the flower as it disintegrated and then she carefully put the stem back into her pocket and left the stage, Ryan beside her, arm around her shoulder.

"Kelsey Winslow was an extreme sport fanatic. We found her at the top of this massive rock she'd climbed and took her to be the yellow Power Ranger. She was always doing extreme sports and trying the next big thing, which for her was becoming a Power Ranger. Near the end of her Power Ranger career, she reconciled with her Grandmother, something she'd always talked about being able to do. Kelsey and Chad fell in love after the missions were over, something everyone had predicted except for them. Kelsey returned again to action sports after Bansheera was defeated but returned to action both to fight Vypra and the Overlord." Kira came onto the stage, along with Ryan. Ryan held a yellow flower. Kira held her gun. "And now, Kelsey, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Kira fired. Then she left the stage as Ryan stepped over beside his father.

Captain Mitchell swallowed hard a couple of times. The next picture flickered into existence above the stage. It showed a smiling woman with shoulder-length blonde hair. "This is Dana Mitchell, my daughter. She worked as a paramedic with Lightspeed for eighteen years before becoming the pink Power Ranger. Dana was always level-headed and very intellectual. She was instrumental in gathering the Ranger team. At one point, Dana tried her hand at modeling but eventually returned to the team. After the defeat of Queen Bansheera, Dana became a pediatrician and married her one true love, Carter Grayson, my Red Ranger. They were married for just over half a year when the Time Force Rangers found themselves dealing with Vypra. Both Dana and Carter went to Silver City to take her down. In the end, Dana was killed by the Psycho Rangers and Carter was disappeared by them. They left behind one child, a child named Ryan that I have kept hidden all these years in a newly repaired Aquabase as Venjix ravaged the globe." Captain Mitchell turned to look at the stairs as Ryan walked slowly up them, a young, blonde-haired, chubby-cheeked little girl holding his hand. She couldn't have been more than five. Captain Mitchell smiled through his tears and stepped to the crystal wall. He took a pink rose from his granddaughter and placed it against the wall. "And now, Dana, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Ryan knelt down beside his niece and wrapped her hands around his Rescue Blaster's trigger, then wrapped his hands around hers. Carefully, he aimed the gun and nudged the girl's arm. She pulled the trigger with her chubby thumb and the blast hit the rose dead-center. Then both Ryan and the little girl returned to their seats and Captain Mitchell walked back to the podium.

"Jen was the tough-as-nails leader of the Time Force Rangers. She led three of her teammates back through time, chasing Ransik to the 21st century. She always expected the best from her team and put up a cold exterior because she was afraid to open up. But one man, Wesley Collins, managed to break her façade and get through to the heart inside. I met them once, a year or so before the whole Overlord thing and knew they were meant to be together. They had wed in 2005, after the whole Mutorg incident. In 2006, they had a son named Sky. Wes promised his wife that he would never let anything happen to the child. Then Jen disappeared and Wes knew he had to fight to protect his son. He called me and asked if I would take Sky in while he was fighting and of course I said yes. I took Sky to the Aquabase with Ryan and myself and we were soon joined by Lee and Andrew." Cassie walked up the stage, along with a man who looked a lot like Wesley Collins and a six-year-old, black-haired little boy. The man's name was Alex and he'd arrived out of a wormhole the day before. He hadn't offered any details on where he'd come from or how long he would stay, just asked to be at the memorial. He held a pink rose with an engagement ring around the stem. No one knew the story behind the ring and he wasn't telling. "And now, Jen, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Cassie took the little boy's hand and placed his fingers on the trigger of her gun. After the dye splattered, the adult Alex and Kira returned to their seats.

"Wesley Collins was a spoiled rich kid from Silver Hills. He saved Jen from certain death with his motorcycle and she asked him to help them unlock their morphers, since Wes' DNA was a genetic match with Alex's. He agreed and helped them win their first battle, at which point Jen took back the morpher, saying they didn't need Wes. Turns out they did so Wes became the red Time Force Ranger. He helped the team find a place to live in an old clock tower his father owned. Wes actually moved out of his mansion and into the clock tower with his new friends. Over time, he proved to be a courageous fighter and champion for good. In the end, he sent his friends back to their own time in order to save them. They returned and helped him win the battle for Silver Hills and then they did leave for good – or so they thought. Wes became the co-leader of the Silver Guardians with Eric Meyers and thought he'd put away the powers for good. However, when the Mutorgs attacked Turtle Cove, Wes went to the aid of the Wild Force Rangers. He also fought in the Forever Red mission and returned to the front lines to fight the Overlord. The last thing he ever wanted to do was leave his son an orphan but Wes Collins would never shirk from his duty. After Jen disappeared, Wes knew he had to make sure his son would survive. So he left him with me." Casey walked up the steps, accompanied by Wes' father, Mr. Collins. They joined Wes' son on stage and Mr. Collins led Sky over to the wall. Mr. Collins stretched as high as he could and extended his arm to hold the red rose near the top of the wall. Sky tilted his head back so he could see the flower. "And now, Wes, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Casey pulled the trigger of his Drive Defender and watched as the blast of energy fried the rose. Then they returned to their seats and another picture appeared.

"Lucas Kendall was a race car driver in the future. Two things Lucas loved were cars and girls. But beneath his 'player' exterior was a young man who cared a lot about his friends and the people of Silver Hills. He always tried to look cool and was a big brother to Trip, the green Ranger. Lucas was the blue Time Force Ranger and never failed to be there when his friends needed him, even when it meant traveling to the past again to deal with the Mutorgs in Turtle Cove. When Lucas and the others chose not to return to the future after helping the Wild Force Rangers, Lucas and Nadira decided to see how far they could take their relationship. And then Lucas took up the powers again to fight the Overlord." A tall woman with hot pink hair approached the crystal wall as Flynn stepped onto the stage opposite her. She had shown up all alone a few days before the ceremony, crying and demanding to know what had happened to her fiancé. "And now, Lucas, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a man with green hair and some kind of jewel-looking thing on his forehead. "Trip wasn't just from the future. He was from the planet Xybria, and had a gem on his forehead that made him psychic, giving him abilities like telepathy, empathy, and precognition. These abilities were random though and he couldn't predict when he'd get a flash. Since he came from a society where everyone knew everything, Trip was super trusting. He had a childlike innocence that could get him into trouble and he looked up to his fellow Rangers as role models. His constant companion was Circuit, the robotic owl who called the Rangers' Zords for them among other things. Trip was also a technological genius, maintaining the Rangers' weapons and building new weapons like the Electro Booster. Trip was instrumental in helping Nadira see the light, so to speak, when he forced her to help deliver a baby in the final battle with Ransik. Trip also returned in 2002 to help defeat the Mutorgs and he eventually sacrificed himself in the final battle with the Overlord, trying to protect Katie." Xander hopped onto the stage, apparently deciding not to take the stairs, as a small, blue owl fluttered onto the stage opposite him. The owl had come from the future with Alex, and called itself Circuit. Circuit clutched a green rose in his talons and he flapped higher, against the crystal wall. The rose dangled by its stem from Circuit's talons as Xander prepared to fire. "And now, Trip, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." The shot from Xander rocked Circuit back a few inches as the rose disintegrated and green dye splashed onto the crystal.

"Katie was the yellow Time Force Ranger. She was the complete opposite of Jen, as she was friendly and bubbly and cheerful. She also possessed super strength, which may have been to futuristic genetic engineering, though she would never disclose the true source of her power. Katie was very attached to her family and missed them terribly while in Silver Hills. The possibility of never seeing them again once nearly drove her to quit being a Power Ranger but in the end, she did what she knew was right. Katie returned to 2002 with the rest of her team in order to fight the Mutorgs and then stayed with her team in Silver Hills, until the deal with the Overlord came around." Taylor and Alex came onto the stage, the latter holding a yellow rose. "And now, Katie, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The last Time Force Ranger's picture appeared, a picture of a black-haired man with a smirk on his face. "Eric Meyers wasn't from the future. He and Wes had actually attended the same school back in the day before Eric dropped out. Eric was a member of the Silver Guardians before he found the Quantum Morpher and used it to become the Quantum Ranger. He was then appointed leader of the Silver Guardians. Eric dished out his own brand of justice in Silver Hills, most often clashing with the Rangers. Finally, though, in the end, Eric took a hit meant for Wes and his father, and passed his Quantum Morpher on to Wes. Wes used the morpher to control the Q-Rex and summon the Quantum Defender. After the defeat of Ransik, Eric regained his morpher and he and Wes became co-leaders of the Silver Guardians. He and Wes followed the Mutorgs to Turtle Cove and joined with the Wild Force team to defeat them. It was love at first sight for Eric and Taylor and the two tied the knot in 2005. Two years later, Taylor gave birth to twin daughters whom they named Callie and Shay. Two years after that, Taylor was captured and Eric left to go after her. He rescued his wife and brought her back to the Animarium, where their children were. Two weeks after that, Taylor disappeared. And Eric lost it. He went to Earth to find Taylor, asking the Princess Shayla look after his daughters. He died on that mission and Princess Shayla honored his last request by taking care of his daughters for five years." Hunter trotted up the stairs Taylor walked up across from him, holding the hands of two eight-year-old blonde girls. Taylor had been overjoyed when Princess Shayla, Callie and Shay arrived from the Animarium two days after Venjix's defeat. She had refused to let her girls out of her sight since the. Now her daughters stood beside her as she held a dark-red rose. "And now, Eric, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Cole Evans was raised in the jungle by natives after his parents were killed. When he was old enough, the natives gave him two things they had found on him – a picture of his parents and a Red Lion Orb. Cole went to the city of Turtle Cove to find out who he was. He ended up being found by the Rangers and Princess Shayla and became the Red Wild Force Ranger. Cole had an affinity for nature and a talent to communicate with wild animals and, in turn, the Wild Zords. He fought long and hard against Master Org and the other Orgs and was the rookie on the team that went to the moon on the Forever Red mission. After Cole's powers were lost, he used his talents to help animals. His powers were restored to him and he, along with the rest of the Wild Force team, were able to help take down the Overlord." Connor and a beautiful woman in a long, flowing white dress walked onto the stage. Princess Shayla had come down from the Animarium with Eric and Taylor's girls when she heard of the return of the Power Rangers, hoping some of hers would be alive. Now she held a red rose as Connor raised his blaster. "And now, Cole Evans, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Danny Delgado was a shy, reserved young man who had the strength of the Iron Bison. Before becoming a Ranger, Danny worked at a flower shop and after becoming a Ranger, he tended the gardens on the Animarium. Danny had a serious fear of heights but served well as a Ranger. He and Max were best friends. After the defeat of Master Org, Danny and Max left to travel the world and party on a long vacation. However, he didn't hesitate when it came to becoming a Wild Force Ranger again to rescue the girls from the Overlord." Dillon smiled at Kendall as the two took the stage. Kendall held a black rose in her hand, one she had plucked from her own rose gardens. "And now, Danny, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Before Max Cooper took up the powers of the Blue Wild Force Ranger, he was well on his way to being a champion bowler. But he didn't fail to do what was right and fought hard as the blue Ranger. He worked hard to overcome being the youngest on the team and was often overly cocky as a result. His best friend was Danny and the two left after Master Org was defeated to party on a long vacation around the world. He fell defending his friends." Taylor returned to the stage with Flynn, holding a blue rose in her hand. Flynn cradled a low-powered Turbo Cannon in his hands now. "And now, Max, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Alyssa Enrile attended Turtle Cove University when she wasn't fighting Orgs as the Pink Wild Force Ranger. She was nurturing and kind, always ready to tend a wound or help a fallen friend. Alyssa's father trained her in martial arts and had hoped she would take over his academy one day. He was heartbroken when she moved to Turtle Cove to attend university but when he saw the good she was doing as a Ranger, he was immensely proud of her. Once all the evil Orgs were defeated, Alyssa finished college and became a kindergarten teacher. She was brave and she was kind and she was noble, just like her Wild Zord, the Noble Tiger." Cassie was joined on stage by a tall man who had been rescued from a work camp a couple hundred miles from Corinth City. He had matched the profile on Dr. K's database of Alyssa's father and it had indeed proven to be Mr. Enrile. The man was gaunt and old, but his expression was one of pride and sorrow as he removed the pink rose from his pocket. "And now, Alyssa, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Merrick fought 3,000 years ago as an Ancient Warrior and was tasked with keeping Shayla safe. He did and then sought the legendary mask of Zen-Aku. The other Ancient Warriors imprisoned Zen-Aku until he was awakened by Master Org to fight the Rangers. And fight them he did with the help of his Dark Wild Zord orbs. Merrick was finally restored when the Rangers defeated his Predazord. However, Merrick refused to help the Rangers, feeling he had done too much evil as Zen-Aku. Merrick also refused to stay on the Animarium with the Rangers or to pursue the romantic feelings he had for Shayla. Instead, he worked and stayed at Willy's Road House. He knew when the Rangers were in trouble by the blowing of the wind and would undoubtedly be there to aid them. Over time, he accepted the Rangers as friends. After the final battle with Master Org, Merrick left to travel the world with Zen-Aku, who hoped for a chance at redemption. It was not the end for Merrick, however, and he would return to fight alongside the other Rangers against the Psycho Rangers and Venjix. In the end, he gave his life so that Leo would live." Princess Shayla, tears streaming unchecked down her face, walked slowly up the steps. Flynn had done his best to find Merrick's old friend, Willy, and had, but the older man had died in a work camp. So Shayla held up a silver rose to the crystal wall as Zhane raised his Silverizer opposite her. "And now, Merrick, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

A new picture showed above the stage. This one was of a man with spiky black hair and a serious expression on his face. "Shane Clarke was an avid skateboarder before becoming a Ranger. He loved the high aerial moves, prompting him to choose the Wind discipline at the Ninja Academy. It took a while for him to learn the leadership ropes but, when he finally learned to rely on his teammates, he became a star leader. Shane lost his powers fighting Lothor but, by using his inner Ninja abilities, was able to defeat the evil Ninja Master." Casey helped an older man up onto the stage. It had taken Hunter a week to track down Shane's old Sensei and when he'd finally found the wise old man, the man had been near death. Dr. K had nursed him back to health and, while he wasn't fully healed yet, he'd insisted on being in the ceremony. He carried a red rose. "And now, Shane, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dustin Brooks was the only Ranger who believed in the Power Rangers before he became one. He worked at Storm Chargers and was a motocross racer. He could be a bit air-headed sometimes and incredibly trusting. Dustin fought with the Earth technique and, after Lothor destroyed the Ninja Academy, was given the Yellow Ranger powers. Sometimes Dustin's trusting nature seemed to get him in trouble, such as the time when he trusted Marah and she betrayed him. But, in the end, she did have some good in her and a crush on the Wind Ranger." Hunter met a young, brown-haired, gaunt woman at the foot of the steps and walked up to the stage with her. He'd spent the last week searching for Marah and her sister, Kapri, and had finally found the former alive and the latter dead. Marah had been near to death herself but was quickly on the way to recovery. She clutched a yellow rose tightly. Hunter planted his feet shoulder-length apart and raised his Crimson Blaster. "And now, Dustin, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture depicted a woman with long, straight blonde hair and blue eyes. "Tori Hanson was a surfer chick at heart. She was level-headed and often irritated by her teammate's antics. She employed the Water Ninja Powers. After Lothor destroyed the Academy, she took up the blue Power Ranger powers. When Blake Bradley came into town, Tori fell in love with him from the onset. She saw the good in him when no one else would and they finally got married in 2006. About four years ago, fairly soon before the Overlord attacked, they had their first child, a son they named Andrew Hunter Bradley. A son who was left an orphan not more than four weeks after he was born. Hunter made sure Andrew was safe during the destruction and took the boy to Tori's Sensei who brought him to me when Venjix took over. We had been friends and he knew I would protect Andrew as I was protecting my granddaughter, Ryan and two other Rangers' children. Now Andrew will grow up under the care of his uncle Hunter." Captain Mitchell cast a small smile at Hunter as the Power Ranger mounted the steps, little five-year-old Andrew's hand tight in his. The little boy clutched two roses in his hand, one light blue and the other dark blue. Right now, he handed the light blue one to Hunter and then wrapped his arms around his Uncle's leg, staring at the crowd with apprehension. Kira walked over to the pair and gave the little boy a hug before raising her Thundermax laser as Hunter stepped up to the wall. "And now, Tori, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

It was only fitting that the next picture would be of Tori's husband and Hunter's brother, Blake Bradley. Kira quickly left the stage as Andrew and Hunter remained behind Captain Mitchell. "Blake Bradley and Hunter Bradley were adoptive brothers who trained at the Thunder Ninja Academy. They were given Thunder morphers right before their Ninja Academy was destroyed. Unfortunately, they were captured by Lothor and the evil Ninja convinced them that the Wind Ninja Sensei was responsible for killing their parents. They attacked the Wind Ninja Rangers with a vengeance. Blake constantly found his attraction to Tori getting in the way with fighting her and even used her to gain entrance to the Wind Ninja Academy and capture Sensei. It wasn't until Hunter and Blake visited the Cavern of Spirits and were told that the Wind Rangers weren't responsible for their parent's deaths that they realized the truth. After a while, they agreed to fight with the Wind Rangers and all of them became great friends. Dustin was able to get him a job as a stock boy at Storm Chargers and Blake continued after his dream of becoming an all-star motocross racer. He married Tori just after the incident with Lothor and the Dino Thunder Rangers. Then he swore he would never put on the suit again, not when he had someone he didn't want to leave behind. But Tori was captured by the Overlord and Blake was forced to leave his three-week-old son behind to go and save her. And before he left, he told Hunter that he'd put the suit back on as many times as he had to. Because now he had someone worth fighting for. He never wanted to leave his son behind, would never have wanted Andrew to grow up without a father. But there was nothing to be done for it. He left and he fought and he died." Now Flynn was walking onto the stage as Andrew handed Hunter the other rose and Hunter held it in front of the wall. "And now, Blake, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Hunter was crying openly as the dark blue dye splashed onto the wall beside the dye from Tori's rose. Andrew yanked on his pants leg and the lean, blonde-haired man swept his nephew up into his arms as he walked back to his seat and sat down. Ryan and his niece, who was named after him, were sitting beside them and Andrew went to sit in Ryan's lap.

The last picture of the Ninja Storm Rangers was of an Asian man with glasses and jet-black hair. "Cameron Watanbe was sarcastic and sharp-tongued. He was raised by parents who were martial arts masters and his skill and prowess probably surpasses that of his teammates. At first, he served only as a technical advisor to the Rangers, monitoring battles and sending weapons and Zords. He wanted to be a Ranger very badly but his father wouldn't let him, having promised his mother that he wouldn't allow Cam to follow the ways of the Ninja. Cam travelled back in time to find a new source of power after the Rangers lost their powers. He found the Samurai Amulet and was eventually given it by his mother of all people. He became the Green Samurai Ranger and was an invaluable asset to the team. Cam resumed his role at the school after the defeat of Lothor. He fell alongside his friend, Shane, in fighting the Overlord's minions." Hunter walked back onto the stage, leaving Andrew to climb into Dillon's lap. The little boy had taken a liking to the brooding, dark-haired young man since he'd returned. Hunter helped Cam's father, Sensei Watanbe, onto the stage. Sensei held a green rose against the crystal. "And now, Cam, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture was of an African-American man with short black hair. "Ethan James was the world's biggest computer geek, second perhaps only to Billy Cranston. He was a champion gamer and loved to play video games and was thoroughly excited to find the Dino Gems. He was granted Tricera Armor after bonding with his gem and becoming the blue Tricera Ranger. Ethan had real trouble realizing his duties as a Ranger weren't a game but, after getting sucked _into_ a video game, Ethan came to understand that there are some things in life that must be taken seriously. After using up the last of his Dino Gem energy in the battle with Mesagog, Ethan went on to attend Reefside Tech and started writing software." Flynn took the stage with his Turbo Cannon held loosely in one hand as Connor walked up across from him, holding a blue rose. "And now, Ethan, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The last picture of a Dino Thunder Ranger was a young man in a white button-up with spiky black hair. "Trent Fernandez was the white Drago Ranger. His powers were originally from the tainted white Dino Gem and they made him evil. He fought on the side of Mesagog, who was also his father, for a really long time. His Dino Gem gave him the power to blend in with his surroundings like a chameleon. The evils of the Dino Gem were finally destroyed and Trent joined the side of good, fighting alongside the Rangers, though he promises to keep his father's secret. When the other Rangers found out Trent was hiding his father's secret, they were very angry and Trent had to prove himself to them. He led them into the Island Fortress and was able to rescue his father from Mesagog's clutches. After Mesagog's defeat, Trent attended art school. A year after Trent left for art school, he and Kira were wed and she attended a grad school near him. In 2007, they had a son that they named Carson Trent Fernandez. In early 2009, Kira discovered she was pregnant. A month later, she, Trent and Connor went to Ocean Bluff to help the Jungle Fury Rangers. Trent tried to persuade her to stay home but she refused, saying she could still kick his butt. After they helped to defeat the Overlord, Trent and Kira swore they would never leave their son again. Trent made Kira promise she wouldn't fight anymore, not while she was pregnant. Only a few weeks passed before Trent disappeared. Kira took her son to her father-in-law and made him swear he would never let anything happen to him, no matter what. She tried to keep her pregnancy a secret from her teammates but it turned out Trent had told Xander. So Xander tried to force her not to fight but she wouldn't hear of it. She fought and she survived but then she was pregnant with no doctors and she was in hiding. Flynn and Xander cared for her and Casey found her a doctor just when she needed one. Kira gave birth to a little girl she named Connor Hope while they were in hiding. And every one of the guy Rangers took it upon themselves to protect that little girl. They would go without food if they only had enough for Connor. They never slept all at the same time; someone was always keeping an eye on Connor. They protected Kira and her daughter, as Trent would have wanted them too. And, all these years, Trent's father had been keeping her son safe and the Mom and son were reunited two weeks ago." Kira and Anton Mercer walked onto the stage. Kira held a four-year-old, black-haired little girl in her arms, trying to keep Connor's hands away from her Thundermax laser. Trent's father held Carson's hand and a white rose, onto which Kira had used a black pen to carefully trace one of Trent's pictures. The result was stunning and sad. "And now, Trent, we honor your bravery and sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Nick Russell rode into Briarwood on his motorcycle to stay with his sister. He was the first to jump in to help an old man whose brother was missing but he was the last to embrace magic. Eventually, it was discovered that Nick was actually the Light, the son of sorceress Udonna and wizard Leanbow. Turned out his name was really Bowen. Near the end of the battle, the Master took over his body and forced him to wreak havoc on the town. It wasn't until his father professed his love for Nick that the Master left Nick's body. And, in the end, Nick and his fellow Rangers defeated the Master and saved Briarwood. After that, Nick and his parents, Udonna and Leanbow, left town on motorcycles to see Nick's adoptive parents. Nick promised Madison, whom he loved, that he would return and left her his baby blanket as proof. He kept his promise and returned a year later, in 2007, and married Madison. They lived in Briarwood and hoped to raise a family. Finally, in mid-2008, Madison gave birth to a son whom they named Lee. Madison and Nick never wanted to leave their son but Nick didn't have a choice – he had to go after Madison when the Overlord took her. After the Overlord killed both of Lee's parents, Xander brought the child to Andrew Hartford, hoping Mack's father would know what to do. Andrew knew of the Aquabase and he contacted me, asking if Lee could stay with me until things smoothed over. Of course I said yes and Lee spent nearly five years with us." Xander stepped up onto the stage with Lee riding piggyback and clutching a red rose in his hand. Casey stopped at the other end of the stage and raised his Drive Defender. "And now, Nick, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Xander and Lee stayed on the stage but Casey returned to his seat.

"Madison Rocca was the most introverted of the Ranger team. She loved to make films and almost always had her camera in front of her face. Over time, she became more outgoing but still preferred to be behind the camera, rather than in front of it. Even though she had a terrible fear of frogs, she kissed Daggeron when he was a frog and restored him to his true self. Madison used her powers of water to defeat evil and, after the Master was defeated, nearly begged Nick not to leave. He gave her his baby blanket and promised he'd be back. She spent a year finishing school and working at the Rock Porium and, when Nick returned, accepted his proposal without hesitation. They were married for a year before Lee came along and Madison was kidnapped by the Overlord just after his three-month birthday. She was killed by the Overlord." Six-year-old Lee chose that moment to throw his blue rose off the edge of the stage. Kira picked it up as she walked towards the crystal wall and handed it to Xander. "And now, Madison, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Charlie Thorn liked to be called Chip. He had a sharp wit and possessed immense knowledge of the supernatural. Out of all the Mystic Force Rangers, he was the one who was most excited to become a Power Ranger. His knowledge of the supernatural once saved Vida from being a vampire. He fell more in love with that girl every day but they hadn't gotten around to tying the knot yet when the Overlord attacked and captured Vida. Luckily, he was able to rescue her but then they disappeared while on their way for a vacation." Toby, the manager of Rock Porium, came up the stairs, his hands in his pockets and a yellow rose tucked into his buttonhole. Taylor joined him on stage. "And now, Chip, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Vida Rocca was Madison's older sister. She was a tough-as-nails, hardcore, go-getter and wasn't particularly fond of her ranger color, pink. Vida could often be found DJing at the Rock Porium when she wasn't out fighting crime. After the defeat of the Master, Vida could still be found DJing at the Rock Porium with her friend, Matoombo." Taylor jogged onto the stage as LeeLee walked up to stand beside the crystal wall, holding a hot pink rose out beside her. "And now, Vida, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Daggeron was one of the legendary warriors who sealed the Master away. He was charged with protecting Bowen – Nick – but was stopped by Calindor and forced to fight. Calindor cursed Daggeron and turned him into a frog. Daggeron, the Solaris Knight, was eventually rescued and restored to his true self by Madison, when she kissed him. He became the trainer for the Power Rangers and, though his methods may seem harsh and difficult at times, his intention is just to make the Rangers the best they can be. He and Leanbow were defeated in the end but were revived by Necrolai and helped the Rangers defeat the Master. Daggeron fought hard against the Overlord and was disappeared by the Psycho Rangers, along with Chip and Vida." Ryan took the stage now, along with Nikki. Nikki held a golden rose out in front of the crystal wall and Ryan powered up his Titanium Laser. "And now, Daggeron, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

"Mackenzie Hartford dreamed of one day being an adventurer like his father. Mack, as he liked to be called, begged his father to let him join the Power Ranger team. At first, his father was opposed to this but Mack proved himself and became the Red Operation Overdrive Ranger. Mack was the heart of his team. He was friendly and reliable and taught Will the meaning of teamwork. He also never gave up. Then Mack found out something shocking – he was an android, not a human at all. It's only his love for his team that caused him to risk it all and become the Red Sentinel Ranger. In the end, Mack used all his energy to defeat Flurious and was destroyed. The Sentinel Knight used the Corona Aurora to restore Mack to life and gave him what he had always wanted, humanity. Mack loved Rose but never acted on his feelings until it was too late and he was killed by the Overlord while trying to protect Rose." Connor mounted the steps as Mack's father, Andrew Hartford, followed behind him. Spencer had spent the past four days tracking the man down and had finally found him in a work camp in Arkansas. No one had any idea how Andrew had ended up there but he was here now and that was all that mattered. "And now, Mack, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Will Aton was the Black Overdrive Ranger. Before Will became a Ranger he was an expert covert spy. Andrew Hartford had Will break into his own safe in Brazil and was very impressed with Will's skills, choosing him as a Ranger. Will was at first hesitant about joining the team, stating that he preferred to work solo. He did join the team though and was thoroughly stoked about the enhancements to his DNA, which gave him super hearing and extraordinary eyesight. Mack helped Will become a better team player and Will helped break into Andrew Hartford's safe to retrieve Mack's Overdrive Tracker. In the final battle with the Overlord, Will saved Scott's life even though both were cut down a few minutes later." Dillon walked up the steps again, with the butler, Spencer, right behind him. "And now, Will, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dax Lo was a Hollywood stuntman who was full of energy and enthusiasm though he desired to become more than a stuntman and be a leading star. He was super excited when Andrew offered him the chance to become a Ranger but was going to join the team in walking away. However, after he agreed to become a Power Ranger, he received the genetic enhancements that allowed him to jump high distances and bounce at a steady pace. After Flurious was defeated, Dax gave up his dream of being a star actor and decided he wanted to be a director. Dax was killed by one of the Overlord's goons while he was trying to protect Rose." Andrew Hartford returned to the stage with Kai, who was twirling his gun between her fingers before bracing himself for the shot. "And now, Dax, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a smiling young woman with dirty-blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Veronica Robinson preferred for everyone to call her Ronny. She was a champion stock car driver before Andrew Hartford chose her to become a Ranger because of her energy and fondness for fast cars. At first, Ronny didn't believe Andrew but, when the guardian of the Corona Aurora appeared before her, she quickly joined the team. Her genetic enhancement was super speed. At first, Ronny always wanted to win but Mack eventually showed her that winning wasn't everything and she let him have the Defender Vest. After the end of the mission and Mack's restoration to human, Ronny returned to stock car driving. Unfortunately, the world is never quiet for the Power Rangers and Ronny was kidnapped along with all the other girl Rangers by the Overlord. Ronny was drowned personally by the Overlord to set an example and show how serious he was about killing the girls. Her death spurred the guys to action." Taylor trotted up the steps to the stage as Spencer walked up opposite her. He held a yellow rose. "And now, Ronny, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Rose Ortiz was a genius, simply put. She studied at Harvard and was working on robotics and other things at a British university when Andrew Hartford contacted her to be the pink Overdrive Ranger. Rose's gifts lay in the world of technology and she operated Andrew's computer system in the base under his mansion. After Rose received the powers of the pink Operation Overdrive Power Ranger, she gained genetic enhancements that allowed her to turn invisible. After their mission was complete and the Corona Aurora restored, Rose returned to teaching students at the university. She and Mack kept in touch and were developing a relationship that ran deeper than friendship when the Overlord found and took Rose. Mack was forced to sit on the sidelines and let others go to rescue her but he saved her in the end. Then he and Dax died trying to protect her. Right as the Overlord's minions were about to cut her to shreds, Carter blasted them into oblivion and Ryan stepped up to protect her. After the Overlord was defeated, Rose was the only survivor from her team. At first, she wanted to put away the Tracker, put away her powers but she couldn't. As Xander and Dominic tried to get close to her, to give her friends as she dealt with her grief, she realized she couldn't just walk away. And then, in the end, Dominic gave his life for her, just as Mack and Dax had done. But it wasn't enough. She still died, though, when she did, she was at peace." Cassie smiled as a young, blonde woman joined her in walking up onto the stage. The woman's name was Vella and she had come in on a spaceship three days earlier. She knew the Rangers and had begged to be allowed to take part in their memorial. Now she held a pink rose in front of the crystal wall. "And now, Rose, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

Vella remained behind Captain Mitchell as a new picture flickered into existence over the stage. This one showed a man with chin-length, straight blonde hair. "Tyzonn wasn't from Earth. He was a Mercurian Intergalactic Emergency Responder. His job was to rescue people from danger. When he arrived on Earth, he ran into Moltor and was turned into a reptile creature. Mack befriended him and, with the help of the Sentinel Knight and two jewels from the Corona Aurora, was able to turn him back into his real self. They asked Tyzonn to join the team but he refused. Eventually, when the Rangers were at the mercy of the Fear Cats, Tyzonn joined them to save them. He then became the Mercury Ranger. Tyzonn found out his fiancé, who he had thought had died in a cave-in, was alive. He vowed to find her after his mission with the Rangers was complete. His search was ended when Vella showed up with Norg, who had rescued her from Flurious. Reunited, the two left to return to Mercury and plan for the future. Tyzonn didn't fight the Overlord with the others but, when the Psycho Rangers showed up and started disappearing the Rangers, Tyzonn didn't escape that fate. He was disappeared from Mercury and Vella traveled to Earth to find him. By the time she arrived, Venjix was in charge and so she lay low, fearing her one true love was dead. And so he was but she is here today, wanting to participate in the memorial." Vella inclined her head slightly as Zhane stepped up beside her on the stage. He handed her an orange rose and then took a few steps away from Vella and raised his Silverizer. "And now, Tyzonn, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

Vella and Zhane took their seats as another picture revolved slowly on the stage. This photo depicted a young woman with wavy blonde hair. "Lily Chilman was a Pai Zhuq student when Dai Shi returned. She was laid-back and reserved and kind. She could be extremely stubborn sometimes and didn't like staying still. Before she joined the Pai Zhuq Academy, Lily was the head cheerleader at her high school and a very talented street dancer. Master Mao chose her after she passed her last test to become the Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger. Lily saw Casey as a younger brother and was very protective of him, something that showed very much when he was taken by the Overlord and she was the only one who could find him. Lily had the animal spirit of the Cheetah and learned the Elephant technique from Master Phant. She also gained the Penguin spirit from Master Guinn and Jungle Master Mode. When Dai Shi kidnapped Casey, Lily fought hard to get him back, even accepting help from Trent, Connor and Kira of the Dino Thunder Rangers. She and Hunter finally found Casey and Lily felt an instant connection with the Crimson Thunder Ranger. Before she could begin to explore those feelings, she was kidnapped by the Overlord and Hunter came after her, realizing that, even though they'd only known each other for a short time, he loved her. After they defeated the Overlord, the Jungle Fury Rangers returned to Ocean Bluff and defeated Dai Shi and earned their Master Stripes. Lily and Hunter started to date and then Lily disappeared." Hunter stepped onto the stage as Master Phant stepped in front of the wall, yellow rose in his hand. "And now, Lily, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next photo was an image of an Asian boy with spiky black hair and a serious expression. "Theo Martin was a confident and bossy young man who always wanted to be in charge. Master Mao chose Theo to be a guardian of Dai Shi but after Dai Shi was released, Theo went with Casey and Lily to Ocean Bluff where he became the blue Jungle Fury Ranger. Theo had to overcome his feelings of jealousy where Casey and Lily were concerned and become the best Ranger he could be. He had the spirit of the Jaguar and learned the Bat technique from Master Swoop. Then, he gained the Antelope Animal Spirit and Jungle Master Mode. Theo's Jaguar was taken from him by Dai Shi after Dai Shi captured Casey but he eventually got it back. Theo was killed in the final battle with the Overlord." Master Swoop and Lewin. Master Swoop held Casey's Drive Defender. Lewin held a rose that was dripping in blue dye. "And now, Theo, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Robert James was probably the most mellow guy ever. He liked to go by RJ and, after Master Mao was defeated, became the Rangers' new Master. RJ also owned Jungle Karma Pizza and was the Rangers' boss as well. He built much of the Rangers' arsenal but said he was not one to fight, though he possessed the Wolf animal spirit. RJ surrenders himself to Dai Shi and was forced to fight against Dai Shi and his Lion Spirit in a cage match. Even though Dai Shi did not succeed in stealing RJ's wolf spirit, the spirit was tainted, causing RJ to turn into a werewolf spontaneously and lose control of himself. RJ gained control over his wolf spirit and became the Wolf Ranger, though he had a relapse due to some of Grizzaka's spirits. RJ rescued Flit and, with the fly's help, fought and defeated his werewolf side, becoming the Wolf Ranger for good. RJ was killed fighting the Overlord and wasn't there to see his students defeat Dai Shi once and for all." Master Finn and Casey advanced from the seats to the stage and Master Finn took his place in front of the crystal, holding a purple rose. "And now, RJ, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Dominic wasn't an original Ranger. He wasn't even at the Pai Zhuq Academy with Casey, Lily and Theo. Master Mao had sent him off six years ago to find his path and he had been traveling the world since then. Then he returned to Ocean Bluff and played a harmless prank on the Rangers, posing as a health inspector. That's how Dom was – playful and a practical joker. Then he saw the Rangers fighting and decided he'd found his path. But the Rangers don't want him on the team, thinking he sees everything as a game and RJ tells him he can't join until they want him. Dom plans to leave, even with Fran telling him that he will be missed. Dom ends up saving Fran's life and Casey invites him to join the team. Dom became the Rhino Ranger and traveled to the Rhino Nexus with the Control Dagger to find the Rhino Zord. When Dai Shi captured Casey, Dom was one of the first to be captured as well. His Rhino Spirit was taken from him but he got it back in the end. He then fought long and hard to rescue the girls and returned with Casey and Lily to defeat Dai Shi. The other two gained their Master Stripes but that path wasn't for Dominic. He asked Fran to join him on a backpacking trip through Europe, but before they could leave, the Psycho Rangers showed up and vanished over half of the Rangers. Dominic became very protective of Rose, calling her Rosie and trying to keep her safe. He fought hard and in the end, sacrificed himself to save her." Hunter took the steps to the stage two at a time as Fran followed behind him a bit slower. She held a white rose. "And now, Dominic, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

"Scott Truman wasn't from 2009, the year when he and the other RPM Rangers were sent back into the past to suffer at the hands of the Overlord. In 2011, this year, the year Scott was from, he was a former military pilot with the codename of Eagle 2. A year ago, Scott barely made it into Corinth City, with the help of Summer. He was made leader of the Power Rangers and the red RPM Ranger. Scott's biosuit allows him to tap into the Morphing Grid and create a 3-second burst of energy. Scott does rash things all the time, sometimes disobeying his father. Finally, though, he came to realize disobeying his father was wrong. Venjix used a Time Bot to send Scott and the other Rangers back in time to January of 2009, believing they would be destroyed. And Scott was killed in the final battle with the Overlord. Andrew Hartford and Alpha 6 made some adjustments to the morphing grid so that Scott's death would be registered as occurring the day after they were transported into the past. That way, no one would know that Scott had been killed in the past so that the timeline would remain intact." Flynn hopped onto the stage and Colonel Truman joined him, carrying a red rose. "And now, Scott, we honor you for your bravery and your courage."

"Summer Landsdown was the spoiled, selfish daughter of the rich Landsdown family. It wasn't until her butler, Andrews, was killed trying to get her to safety during the onslaught of the Venjix invasion that she came to her senses and realized she was a good person. She arrived safely in Corinth City, only to put on a paramedic's uniform and go out to save Scott. They returned to Corinth City and Summer made a deal with her parents that they would leave her alone for a year. She became the yellow RPM Ranger. Summer spearheaded the attempt to get Dillon released from jail and onto the Ranger team. Over the next couple of months, Summer fell in love with Dillon. Her powers give her the ability to read energy signatures and translate that into energy bursts. Summer was sent into the past by Tenaya and tortured by the Overlord. Dillon rescued her and the two finally declared their love for each other. They were returned to their present but, in a few days, were vanished." Dillon and Summer's mother climbed the steps to the stage. Mrs. Landsdown positioned a yellow rose against the crystal. "And now, Summer, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized."

The next picture showed a young man with unruly brown curls. "Ziggy Grover found Dillon out in the deserts around Corinth City and directed him on how to get into Corinth City. The two became friends and Dillon became a Ranger on the one condition that Ziggy get out of jail with him. Ziggy took it upon himself to find the new green Ranger and found a girl he thought would be perfect. Unfortunately, it turned out that it was Tenaya 7 in disguise and the only way Ziggy could keep the Rev morpher out of Venjix's hands was to bond with it. So he did and became the new Green RPM Ranger. Ziggy and Dr. K had a rocky relationship but she was very fond of him, without letting him know it. Ziggy's biggest way to entertain himself was with shadow puppets. Ziggy fought against the Overlord when he and the other Rangers were transported back in time and was disappeared a few days after they returned." Dr. K walked up the steps as Dillon smiled at her and took a green flower from the black RPM Ranger. Tears stained her face but she held her head high as Dillon took aim with Flynn's Turbo Cannon. "And now, Ziggy, we honor you for your bravery and your sacrifice."

The next picture showed two people, twins, one a guy and one a girl. "Gem and Gemma. Twin prodigies of Alphabet Soup. They were the original testers for the Ranger bio-suits. When Venjix attacked, they helped Dr. K get to safety and then returned for the biosuits. They escaped from the crumbling Alphabet Soup building by morphing into the Gold and Silver RPM Rangers. After they saved the Rangers in Omega City, they joined the RPM team. Gem and Gemma finish each other's sentences and are rarely apart. Both are cheery and optimistic and love to see things explode. Gem saved Gemma when she was captured by the Overlord in the past. They returned triumphant to the future only to be vanished a few days later." Dr. K hadn't left the stage and now Hunter and Zhane joined her. She held two flowers, one gold and one silver. She held the silver one up to the crystal wall. "And now, Gemma, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." A shot from Zhane's Silverizer splashed the silver dye onto the wall. "And now, Gem, we honor your bravery and your sacrifice. Be forever memorialized." Hunter's Crimson Blaster sent gold dye splattering onto the crystal.

Hunter, Zhane and Dr. K headed to their seats as Flynn walked up to the microphone. "Well, we'd like to thank all of you for coming-"

But his words were cut off by a sudden roaring sound. He looked out at the crowd and saw that everyone of the people were on their feet, clapping and shouting. There were shouts of "You go, Rangers!" and "Thank you, Rangers!" and "Way to go, Casey!" and "You rock, Flynn!" and everything else. It was a standing ovation. Then the crowd began to chant. "Rangers, Rangers, Rangers, Rangers." Casey, Xander, Kira, Hunter, Ryan, Dillon, Taylor, Cassie, Zhane, Kai and Connor joined Flynn on stage and stood there as the people expressed their thanks. Finally, after what felt like forever, the crowd sat back down and the guys stepped to the side of the stage as Kira retrieved her guitar.

"A final tribute." Kira started to strum and leaned into the microphone. "I wrote this for Mack's, Shane's and Cam's funerals. Now I guess it fits for all of them. We'll miss you, guys." She paused and then began singing quietly.

"Where have you gone, how could you leave me? Said you'd always be there, never let go. And now you're gone, never to return, not coming back and where do I go from here?

"I waited by the window watching for you to come up the walk. I knew you wouldn't lie to me that you wouldn't leave me but now my doubts creep in. Cause now you're gone, never to return, not coming back and where do I go from here?"

Flynn stepped up beside her for the last verse, his Scottish accent perfectly complementing her. They sang with all their heart.

"Is this the end is this goodbye is this where we part ways? I can't believe, don't want to believe that this is it but in my heart you will always be with me. So now you're gone, never to return, not coming back. I must go on from here."

After the last note faded away, Colonel Truman raised his radio and said one word. "Now." And the great spotlight that had been installed behind the crystal wall sprang to life.

The crowd ooohed and ahhhed. The dye that had been shot onto the wall, the dye that represented each of the fallen Rangers, had formed a picture. The picture showed the outlines of six people, four tall and two smaller. Each one was a different color: red, black, blue, pink, yellow and multi-colored. But there was more than just the five figures. At the end of the line was a smaller outline. It was a little girl with pigtails, her hand clasped in the hand of the pink figure. Her outline had been created with different colored dyes, with purple and green, with silver and gold. And, above the picture was an engraving.

MAY THE POWER THAT PROTECTED US LIVE ON FOREVER.

MAY THEIR SACRIFICES NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

FOR THEM, WE GIVE THANKS.

And, as the crowd began to disperse, the Rangers gathered together one last time, with their kids or their friends' kids and took a few minutes…to just remember.

**Author's Note: Can I make a confession? This chapter wasn't as powerful with the second ending as the first, I don't think. I don't know. When I first conceived the idea of 2 different endings, I honestly thought the second ending, this one, would be my favorite. But it's not. I really liked the other one. Anyway, thanks to lissaxsuee, Lina and Ms. Fairweather for reviewing! You guys are like my 3 only reviewers so it's nice to know when I put up a new chapter, I can count on you guys reviewing! If anyone else is reading, please review so I know!!! There's probably one more chapter left in this one but then I'm going to another spin-off (these characters have become like my own since Sacrifice and I don't want to leave them) from the first ending. Should be good. I might also start a new PR. Not sure on that one. Anyway, please continue reading and reviewing!!**

**Michelle**


	26. 2nd Ending: Never Say Goodbye

Dillon and Flynn sat in the garage, on the hood of Scott's car. Neither one was talking but both knew that there was something they needed to talk about. Something that hung over them like a dark cloud. Finally, Dillon cleared his throat.

"A belt? You thought a belt would hold her? Really, Flynn?" Dillon's voice was quiet but his tone was laced with accusations, barely held restraint. He didn't turn to look at Flynn, just stared at his own car. His hand bunched into a fist at his side.

Flynn didn't look at him either but his voice was defensive. "It was all I had at the time, Dillon. And I kinda had bigger things on my mind, like Venjix. You should be glad I tried to save her. Casey was all set to destroy her. But I stopped him. I thought she'd be there after the battle. I'm sorry she got away, Dillon. At least she didn't go back to Venjix's fortress. They would have found her."

Dillon didn't respond, just kicked his heel against the front fender of Scott's car. Flynn finally turned to look at him. "I said I'm sorry! I said I'll go look for her! What else do you want me to do?"

"I don't want you to do anything. I just wish that she'd made it, that she was free. I know you did what you could. I just…I just wish." Dillon turned now to look back at Flynn and smiled but there was no teeth; it was a sad smile.

Flynn nodded. "I wish for a lot of things, too. I wish Summer was alive and Scott and Wes and everyone. I guess all we can do now is just move on, ya know? We've spent five years moving on, the seven of us. Now you guys have to deal with being back in the world and knowing that you survived while all the rest of them didn't. It's gotta be hard, I bet."

Dillon shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But for me, it's not that big of a deal. I thought I was dead. I'm not. That's good but not crazy awesome. I already knew all my friends and the ones I loved were dead. Now I have a second chance at life. And I plan to spend it finding my sister."

"I'll help you. Anything you need, you just let me know. We can take my Jeep or I'll tweak your car or whatever you want. I'm there." Flynn clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder.

But before Dillon could answer, Dr. K walked into the garage. To Flynn and Dillon's surprise, she climbed up onto the hood beside them. "Seems weird in here without them, doesn't it?" She said quietly.

"Yeah. No wonder twins finishing each other's sentences, no Ziggy tripping over my tools, no Scott to argue with Dillon and no Summer to see the best in everyone. It's almost like it's just too quiet." Flynn looked sideways at Doctor K. "What are you going to do now, Doc? Stay here? With no evil lurking on the horizon, and most of the bio-suits gone anyway, there's really no need for you to stay in the lab."

Doctor K tapped her fingers on the hood of the car and thought for a long minute before responding. "I'm not staying in Corinth City at all. I can't. The Ranger Operators were my charges and I failed to keep the majority of them safe. Scott, Summer, Gem, Gemma, Ziggy…were all my responsibility and I failed them. This place; it reminds me of them and my failure. I can't stay here," she repeated. "I'm going to be on the go for a while. Mike is about to head back to Mirinoi with Jake and Jessie and I'll be going with them to study the Quasar Sabers. Well, Leo's Saber anyway, to see if it could ever be used by anyone else. Mike and I are going to try and recover the powers of the Magna Defender while we're there, as well. Then I'll be coming back to Mariner Bay to work with Captain Mitchell at the Aquabase, do some testing and that kind of stuff. I don't know that I'll ever be coming back to Corinth City." There was a pause and then Dr. K looked at Dillon. "What about you two? Where are you going?"

Flynn opened his mouth to respond when laughing voices filled the garage. A crowd of people were coming in. Casey, Sky, Cassie, Taylor, every Ranger and kid who was staying at Dr. K's lab were returning from an outing to the park. As they approached Scott's car, they seemed to catch onto the mood and grew quiet. Casey leaned down and set his hand on Sky's shoulder.

"Hey, Sky, why don't you and Syd take the other kids to play in the back, okay? We kinda need to talk, us adults." Sky hesitated for a moment and then nodded. He and Syd gathered up all of the kids, with the help of some of the older ones, and they ran out the back door, already laughing and giggling again. The other ten Rangers came and gathered around Scott's car, either sitting on the hoods of Dillon's car and Flynn's Jeep, or on the ground.

"You guys making plans without us?" Xander asked, laughing softly.

Flynn grinned back at him. "Just talking about the future. So what about you, Xander? Where are you going to go?"

He looked at Kira sitting next to him and smiled. "Kira and I are moving to Rootcore. We're going to get married and see if we can't train Carson and Connor to be wizards. Or at least to do their chores."

Flynn looked intently at Kira. "You're ready to move on?" He and Kira had grown very close during their five years in hiding and had become like brother and sister. She had told him in the last year that she had feelings for Xander and might even be in love with him but didn't want to hurt Trent's memory by marrying another man. And she had worried that Carson wouldn't remember his Daddy.

Now she nodded, smiling. "I'm ready. I've finally come to peace with it all and I know this is what Trent would want. He'd want me to be happy." She slid closer to Xander and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I'm going with Hayley, Devin and Cassidy to Reefside to rebuild. There are hundreds of people who want to move back to their homes, homes that aren't there anymore. We're going to erect a sort of ruling council and do our best to help the people who want to return. And then, once we get everything going, we're going to open the school back up. Cassidy wants to name it the 'Dr. Tommy Oliver High School.' We're not sure on that yet. But we're hoping to have everything up and running within a year." Connor crossed his arms and leaned back against the windshield of Flynn's Jeep.

"Awesome. That sounds a lot like what I'm going to be doing." Cassie tossed her black ponytail over her shoulder. "I'm headed back to Angel Grove with Bulk and Ernie. The city there is still standing, more or less and we're going to be doing a lot of labor-intensive rebuilding. But it's for a good reason so it won't be too bad."

Zhane patted her on the back. "I'm glad you're taking up that job, Cassie. I wanted to help rebuild the city but Rachel and Jackson want to see KO-35. They've been on Mirinoi for five years and have never seen my home. So we'll be taking the Astro Megaship to KO-35 and make a home there. We'll be back to visit but not for a while. You guys will probably have the whole planet rebuilt by the time we make it back here." He laughed but there was sadness in his tone – he was leaving the only family he'd had for the past five years.

Kai leaned around to look at Dr. K. "Dr. K and I are going back to Mirinoi with Mike, Jess and Jake. She's going to be doing some research and I'll be working with Commander Stanton, doing just what I had been doing before I was vanished. I just want life to go back to how it was before."

Taylor had been quiet but now she spoke up. "Syd, Shay and I are going to go back to the Animarium for a while, hang out with the Wild Zords and the Q-Rex. Spend some time getting reacquainted. Wow, that's not something you should have to do with your kids but, after five years, they've grown up a lot. I mean, they're only seven, but still. Syd is already crying about leaving her new best friend, Sky. So I doubt we'll be gone for long."

Casey laughed. "Yeah, Sky keeps telling me about Syd and how girls are yucky but at least she's a lot like a boy."

Taylor frowned and turned to stare at Casey. "And why have you been spending so much time with Wes' son? You didn't even know Wes or Sky before the Overlord crap. I heard you telling Kira that you didn't even know he had a son until his father showed up with Sky two weeks ago. And now you're his best buddy? Why are you trying to take over for Wes? If anyone should take Sky in, it should be me. After all, his father and Eric were best friends." Taylor wasn't being mean, just cold. Calculating. It was the way she was.

Casey didn't answer for a minute, during which Connor frowned and gave Taylor a hard elbow to the stomach. When Casey did respond, his voice was quiet. "I know I didn't know Sky before any of this happened. And I admit I've only known him for two weeks. But when Mr. Collins showed up, he told me something. He said that when Wes left Sky with him, he told his father that, if the war ended and both he and Eric were dead, that he wanted me to take care of Sky. He said that I was the only one he trusted with his son. I don't know why. He and Leo saved my life there at the end and he wanted me to protect his son? All I know for sure is that I'll do that if it's the last thing I ever do. And Sky seems like a pretty cool kid."

Ryan smacked Casey on the shoulder. "So where are you going with Sky? To Silver Hills? Or back to Ocean Bluff? I'm going with Ryan to Mariner Bay to live with my father for a while, just until we can rebuild enough of the city to get a place of our own. That little girl may not have parents anymore but she has me."

"Well, I asked Sky where he wanted to live, if he wanted to live in Silver Hills or what and he said he doesn't care. So I told him to think about it and he finally decided he wanted to stay here, in Corinth City. Something about wanting to be a police officer when he grew up. We'll be staying here. I'm gonna open a Jungle Karma Pizza with a buddy of mine." He threw a glance at Hunter and the Crimson Ranger laughed.

"Yep, looks like Andrew and I are staying here, too. Blue Bay Harbor was razed to the ground and Ninja Ops destroyed. Venjix and his creeps dried up the waterfall and blasted the mountain hiding Ninja Ops. There's nothing for us there. So I'm going into business with Casey. Sensei will be living in Corinth City as well and he and I will be training Andrew in the Ninja arts as he gets older. And Sky too, if he'd like. When you guys want pizza, you know where to come."

Xander chuckled and glanced at Dillon and Flynn. "What about you two? Are you going to stay here, in Corinth City? Or go with Doctor K to Mirinoi and the Aquabase?"

Dillon looked at Flynn and then back at the group at large. "We're taking his Jeep and my car and setting out across the desert. We don't really have an agenda, just a goal. We don't know when we'll be back or if we'll ever come back to Corinth at all."

"Well, what's your goal? Just to get out? See some of the world?" Kira asked.

Dillon nodded at Flynn to answer and Flynn said, "We're going to find his sister, Tenaya. I had her tied up at the last battle but she got away. If we can find her, we can get her back. It's just the finding that's going to be the problem. But we'll do it."

"If you need anything, we might can help you from the Aquabase. I'm there for you if you need any help." Ryan offered. The other Rangers were quick to back him up.

Then, one by one and two by two, the Rangers started to leave the garage. Over the next couple of days, they began to go their separate ways. Zhane and Dr. K, Kai and Mike were the first ones to head out on the space shuttle bound for Mirinoi and the Astro Megaship. Cassie left the following day for Angel Grove. Out of the blue the same day, the Q-Rex and the Eaglezord showed up in Corinth City and Taylor, Sydney and Shay took the two Zords back to the Animarium. Two days later, Dillon and Flynn set out on their cross-country journey, with cases of water, boxes of food and the watch and keys. Ryan, his father and his niece set out the next day for Mariner Bay. Xander and Kira left for Rootcore with Carson, Lee and Connor. The day after that, Connor borrowed Scott's car and left Corinth City for Reefside. And Casey, Hunter, Andrew and Sky set up residence in an old building that would soon become a bustling pizza parlor and the common meeting place whenever any of the Rangers were in Corinth City. They had been a family for years, especially the seven survivors, and will remain friends for a lifetime.

**Author's Note: Well, that's it. The arc that began with Sacrifice ends with Heartbeat. I so gotta say that the 1****st**** ending is still my favorite. And I think I'm going to be working on a new story that spins off the second ending cause I really came to love the surviving Rangers and don't want to leave them. But we'll see. Anyway, thanks again to my 3 avid readers and reviewers, lissaxsuee, Ms. Fairweather and Lina!! You guys are awesome and I hope you'll stick around for the next story. Plus, I hope I get some new readers with a new story! Please, read and review 'cause I love reviews! And, for now…**

**Power down.**

**Michelle**


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